Love me so Tender
by starrrrii
Summary: Did the thief feel this strongly towards him before? Did he really feel these surges of emotions every time Ryou was there? It was then when Ryou finally realized that the thief was this madly in love with him. "Idiot Yadonushi," he chided. "We need each other. It's always been that way." Tendershipping. Please R&R!
1. Do not lie to the Innocent

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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After 8 months of brooding and thinking as to whether or not love me so tender was to be posted, my partner and I decided to give a shot and post it just to see what people would think about our story! Love me so Tender is a massive story, based on Tendershipping and a hell lot of other shippings as well. LMST is but a product of our twisted evil little minds and what started out as a 'Bakura stealing something' story, it ended up to be one of the best stories we have ever written.

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

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**Chapter 1:** Do not lie to the Innocent

Tonight was finally here. It had been hours since the sun had gone down. If there was any time to start moving, this was it. Weeks, bordering on months, of planning had gone into this night. There was something that Bakura needed in this building, and tonight he was finally going to get his hands on it.

He looked up to the building briefly, getting his bearings. The lights were off, with the exception of the ones in the front - but those were always on anyway, to deter people from breaking in. _Hah. Like that's going to do them any good now._ He smirked to himself, thinking that this would be all too easy. Then again, he had spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the perfect and least dangerous way of getting in to grab what he needed. Yes, this was going to go well. Nothing would stop him. It couldn't, right? He knew what time the employees of Kaiba Corp went home, what time they came in, and where all the security points were.

Bakura took a short breath and went forward, ready to finally get this plan underway. At the moment he was doing his best to avoid detection, sticking to where it was darkest and hiding his brightly-colored hair from sight under a hood. He hated doing that - it was uncomfortable. As soon as he got what he needed and got out, he would without a doubt just tear the damned cloth off of his head.

Taking a small pin out of his pocket, he stuck it into the keyhole of one of the small rooms he knew to be a storage area of some sort. This wasn't the first time Bakura had picked locks, especially not here. He couldn't just try to do something like this without at least testing different tactics out or finding what he could! Otherwise, this wasn't going to work at all. He moved the pin a little more and grinned when the door clicked open. He went into the room and closed the door behind himself, locking it out of habit more than anything else. He was in... Now all that was left to do was find his way through the rest of Kaiba Corp and avoid anything or anyone that might find him, get what he came for, and get out. Easier said than done, but this was not going to be a problem at all.

Taking a quick, cautious look into the hall, Bakura left the room he was in and continued on. Nobody seemed to be around, just as he had thought. Now, if only he could find his way around... he knew the basic layout of the place, due to having seen the building from the outside many times and guessing based on what he had seen the employees doing and talking about. But that still didn't change the fact that he wasn't entirely certain where what he needed was hiding. It could be anywhere, but thankfully, most people were the same when it came to hiding important possessions. Put it either where someone would least expect it, or lock it away where nobody could get to it.

Unfortunately for Seto Kaiba and the higher-ups at Kaiba Corp, that wasn't about to stop Bakura

* * *

Ryou Bakura has just recently decided to take a job in the Kaiba Corporation. True, he was only looking for a part-time job but when he saw that he has an opportunity to be a member of a world-renowned Kaiba Corporation, he knew he wanted to take the chance and simply go for it.

His father is off in another Egyptian expedition and had left him alone to care for their house so getting his permission was not needed at all. It will bring food to the table, so why not right? Well, that's what he thought before he realized that the job that he was taking on was Kaiba's actual secretary. He could not help but wonder as to why he was allowed to work while being a part of their school. Ryou knew about the policies of their school, most importantly, the policy about having a part-time job. In truth, Ryou and his dad was not poor at all. Being someone who goes to Egypt for expeditions and stuff, Bakura's father would usually find something of importance during his trips. His hazel gaze fell on the Millennium Ring, the circular object that had triggered for everything to begin, including the cause of his nightmares every night. He could not help but wonder as to why he keeps on dreaming about someone who looks like him...

The secretary simply shook his head and shrugged the thought of. The idea of finding someone who looks almost exactly like him is next to impossible but still, like most of his nightmares, this one does not seem to fade quickly. Ryou could not help but to feel at least a bit suspicious as to why the place was so quiet. It seemed to him as if the place was a little too quiet. He placed the files that he was holding back on the table, looking around. The Hikari furrowed his eyebrows as he looked made his way towards the door. He peeked at the little window, seeing someone with white spiky hair picking the lock of one of the rooms. He tilted his head to the side, wondering as to why the security alarms had not been triggered yet. It made his curiosity heighten after every second. His heart racing as he saw the man enter the room. He caught a small glimpse of his face before moving to the wall, seemingly panting as he leaned against it.

Part of him wanted to stay inside the said room for he did not want to die- no, not yet a least. According to the papers, there's this white-haired thief out and about. If there was a time for him to stand up for himself, it was right now. Ryou gulped a little as he took every ounce of courage and had it build up inside him. He rushed towards the door, looking at the label as to where he entered. It was the room where all the documents and top secret information was hidden. Only Mr. Kaiba had a key to this place and of course, himself, and he was sure there were no other duplicates. The key itself was intricate so the person who entered must have some skill in lock-picking. He took the key from his pocket and immediately opened the door. He carefully made his way in, looking around for the thief.

After flicking on a light switch, the exact contents of the room finally became visible. It looked like a bunch of filing cabinets and papers. This would definitely be beneficial - maybe he could find something out about what he was looking for?

So Bakura opened up a drawer and began shuffling through the seemingly hundreds of files, trying to find anything - labels, papers, whatever - that could point him towards his target. He wasn't able to look for very long, however, when he heard a noise coming from outside. _Footsteps? What the Hell? Everyone should have left by now! _Of course he was a little bit pissed at this slight miscalculation, but still, it wasn't quite enough to get him out of there. Besides, simply walking out when someone was coming was a guaranteed way to get caught. But maybe this person was just passing by?

That thought was dispelled as soon as he heard the sound of a key turning the lock. He cursed under his breath, grabbed a few papers out of haste, and darted to the light switch. Bakura clicked it off and moved behind the cabinet he had been shuffling through, pressing himself against the wall and trying his hardest to remain hidden. He was surprisingly good at concealing himself, having to have learned the hard way how not to be seen. But still, this didn't assure him any safety at all. In fact, he was hoping more than anything that this person would just leave after a few more minutes...

"I know someone's h-here! Where are you?" his voice shaking, his eyes looking around.

He almost laughed at the voice coming from the doorway. Whoever it was, they sounded scared. _It's just a child!_ He thought to himself. Surely this person couldn't be any older than he was? Maybe a year, at most? More likely, he was younger. A wave of relief washed over Bakura. If worse came to worst, and he was seen, he could always overpower this kid. He had tucked a knife away in his pocket. It wasn't large, and he didn't think he'd need to use it, but having a safety net of sorts was always a good option.

He pressed himself closer to the wall, smirking confidently. He had no reason to reveal himself right now. _This won't be a problem at all._

Ryou was feeling even more fidgety the moment he entered the dark room already. He gulped a little and fully entered the room. He had wished that the person had come out the moment he asked him to. He could not help but shriek a little the moment the door shut due to the automatic lock system. He panted a little and backed up, his back pressing against the wall as he looked around. He noticed that the thief did no sudden movements to reveal his hiding place. However, the room itself was not ridiculously big. True enough, there are random file cabinets here and there, meaning that there were a lot of spaces for him to hide in but it would not be hard for Ryou to find him. If only he would stop acting such a wuss and start to stand up for himself. Ryou knew he had to finally stand up for himself. To him, it was either now or never.

As of now, he had two options. He could easily brush it off and walk away or he could look for the mystery person that made his heart beat fast. Ryou took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He walked towards the middle of the room before walking to the file cabinet that was labeled 'A-C'. He pulled on the handle as he started to look for the any missing files. When he deduced that there were no missing files from the said cabinet, he moved to the next one, making sure he kept an eye out just in case the thief decided to do anything.

His eyes trailed off to the artifact around his neck. He felt as if the object itself was reacting to the thief but he simply shrugged it off. After all, why would this Ancient Egyptian artifact be interesting for a common thief? He shoved the Millennium Ring inside his shirt before going about with his business.

But this thief was not common at all, now, was he? A common thief would usually go after convenience stores, homes, or even banks for that matter. However, this thief had decided to go for Kaiba Corporation- The Kaiba Corporation. Certainly, this thief was in it for the Intellectual things. Ryou was confused with his current train of thought, to be honest. What exactly would a thief want with a company mainly concerned with games? Wouldn't the person get more cash if he simply robbed other stores? Maybe, it was for patenting. Maybe, it was for the intellectual property rights. Maybe the person was some spy from a competing company that is in for the fall and demise of the Corporation! Ryou could not help but to shake his head at what he just thought of. Honestly, he has been watching too much spy movies causing him to be this paranoid- But was it really that far from the truth? What if the person is really a French spy in it for the destruction of the entire world?

"Who are you? Answer me! I-I have a... a..." he looked at his person, trying to figure out as to what item he could use to threaten the thief, "A... pen..? I mean a knife! Yeah, that's better..."

Bakura's eyes widened for a moment and he pressed himself closer to the wall, as if that would help him. The person had come further into the room, closer to him, making the white-haired thief panic slightly. But at least he had a good look at the boy now, and realized he wasn't in much trouble at all. He was small, possibly even smaller and thinner than Bakura himself. Yes, it would be easy to overpower him...

That thought was instantly ripped from his mind as he burst out laughing. It was a little louder than he meant to, but he couldn't control it. It probably would have scared whoever was there, even if they were bigger and less... well, afraid, than this boy.

Once he calmed down, then Bakura realized he was pretty much screwed at this point, and that hiding was pointless. There was little echo in the room, so it would be easy to tell where the laughter had come from. So he stepped out, hands up in a mocking way, and smirking like he hadn't just been caught breaking in, but like he was playing a game of some sort. "All right, all right. You've got me." He laughed lightly, and lowered his hands to his pocket, touching his knife to make sure it was there. He lifted it so that the handle was just barely visible, giving his 'captor' a small glimpse. "I mean, you have a knife, don't you? Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Looking closer at this boy made Bakura's eyes go wide again, then narrow. He looked all too familiar, and it was creepy. Maybe if he looked more like someone that the thief just knew in passing, then it would be okay, but... this boy looked almost identical to him! Same white hair, if only a little tamer. Same eyes, only slightly bigger and more innocent-looking. They even had a similar build...

It was like he was looking at his reflection.

To emphasize this, Bakura reached up and removed the hood he was wearing, letting his long hair free at last. "Who are you?" He asked coldly. As if he were in a position to - he was the intruder here, after all. This boy was probably just doing his job, whatever that may have been.

He let his eyes wander up and down the others body again, trying to take the details in better, at least until his eyes hit the golden relic around the boy's neck. He almost surged forward, but managed to hold himself still. The shock and surprise weren't as easily held back, however. That item... that ring... that was what he had been looking for. _So the rumors are true, then. Coming here wasn't a waste of time. But... how do I get it?_ He couldn't just attack this boy, not after he had so carelessly shown him his face. And he didn't really want to kill this boy, no matter how beneficial it would be to him. It was strange... Bakura never batted an eyelash at having to do things like hurting others, but this was different somehow. He needed answers, and then maybe this feeling would go away.

"Where did you get that?" He demanded, pointing at the Ring hanging around the boy's neck.

Ryou was praying that he was simply hallucinating when he saw someone enter the room. He was praying that everything was but a misunderstanding and that he would simply go home and eat his cup noodles in peace. But apparently, that was not going to happen tonight. He felt as if chills slowly ran down his spine the moment he heard a laughter echo in the room. He did not know what was wrong with him at this point but Ryou wanted to know who exactly this person was. Once again, he felt like a cat, wanting to discover more even though he knew that he was putting himself in danger in his conquest for his so-called truth. His laughter echoed throughout the room as he could not help but feel that the thief was mocking him already. At this point, Ryou was already regretting the fact that he tried to threaten a thief. So far, what he knew was that he's someone who does not play easy games and the Hikari felt stupid mainly because he was putting himself in more danger by threatening him.

Suddenly, an image of a man appeared right before him. His voice was deep and yet sultry in a way. Ryou could not help but gulp the moment the handle appeared in his area of vision. _'Look at what trouble you dug yourself in this time Ryou! That man has a knife! A fucking knife!'_ he thought as his eyes went back to the face of a person. Almost immediately, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He felt as if he was looking at himself- a couple of years from now. His features were more angular signifying that he was older than him but other than that, it was as if he just found his long lost twin. His hair was spikier than Ryou's and his lips were in a permanent smirk or so seemed. His eyes were fixated on him as if it was looking into his soul already and at this point in time, Ryou was feeling intimidated by him already.

The brown-eyed boy took a step backward the moment the thief asked for him name. "Bakura. Bakura Ryou," he said in the most respectful way. Why exactly was he thinking of manners at the time like this. All Ryou was thinking of right now was to look away. He felt as if every part of his energy gets drained the moment their eyes would meet. He felt as if he was already under a spell and weirdly enough, he liked that sort of feeling. He shook his head, mostly to forget as to what he was thinking moments a go. He should stop thinking and start acting... Right?

"Wait. W-Who are you? And why do you look like me? What the heck..." Ryou took a deep breath before speaking once more, "Is happening here..? And why should I tell you about this ring?"

Ryou felt the aura of the person grow more intense. The intruder then proceeded to asking him about the artifact around his neck. He was asking as to where he got it. Ryou felt confused. He did not want to tell the truth but if he were to lie, would he even survive an attack when this thief is the one who has a real knife in his hands? Ryou bit his lower lip before looking at him sternly, as if he had a newfound confidence.

To Bakura, this was all a game. At least it was in the beginning. Now he couldn't be sure. The smirk was wiped clean off his face, replaced with a scowl the moment that the boy said his name. Bakura? That couldn't be, could it? Bakura was _his_ name. So they didn't just share an image, but they shared a name too? This was all becoming too much, too quickly.

He scoffed. "Just a coincidence," he muttered under his breath. He looked back up, his eyes cold and narrow as before. "You can call me Bakura, too," he said, feigning calm as he spoke. Actually, the thief was a bit surprised that he sounded as composed as he did. His thoughts were a mess right now. "But if you want, you could add 'Yami' to that. Either way, we have the same name."

The smirk came back, only now Bakura looked much more intimidating and menacing than before. He took a step closer, pulling the switchblade knife out of his pocket and flicking the blade out part way, then clicking it back in place. It was just a reminder of sorts, almost a threat, so that this Bakura Ryou knew what he was dealing with. Or was about to deal with, in any case. He laughed bitterly. "I think you know why you should tell me, Ryou," he hissed. Normally he would have called the boy by his last name, but addressing him as 'Bakura' would have just felt a little bit too weird.

"But aside from_ that_..." He flashed his knife's blade again, just to make a point. "...That Ring around your neck belongs to me. It was mine before you had it, and I'd quite like to have it back."

His eyes darted back down to the golden item around Ryou's neck. It was dull due to the lack of light in the room, but in the proper setting, it would glow and shine just as he knew it was supposed to. He doubted the boy even really knew what it was, and guessed he probably just wore it because it was a gift of some sort, or that he thought it looked interesting.

_But it's so much more than that, _Bakura thought to himself. _If only he knew._

Ryou felt his heart rate rush at every syllable the man uttered. How could he possibly be a Bakura as well? How were they related? Was he really supposed to be his long lost twin? The Hikari could not help but to step back the moment he took a step forward. He gulped a little when he finally saw the blade in his hands. The shine reflected in his eyes almost making Ryou slightly more scared. The man started to talk about the Ring around his neck. Could he possibly be the one that haunted his mind day in and day out? True enough the dreams were talking about someone that looked just like him- if not even more sinister. He took a step forward, and soon enough, he was inches away from Bakura and his blade.

"It used to belong to you. Now it belongs to me. I did not steal it from you so why should I give this ring back? It's mine!" he stated, his voice getting louder at every word.

The moment he uttered the word 'mine', the item itself began to glow. By some freaky turn of events, the ring itself began to levitate, as if it was telling Ryou that it really did belong to Bakura. The wide-eyed boy took the ring in his hands, dropping the pen that he was holding. The little arrow like pendants below the ring started to point to the mirror image in front of him. As it began to glow even more, the pendants started to move to a different direction as it pointed to a particular space on the wall. Ryou somehow ignored the person in front of him after that. He started to make his way to the said space on the wall. He then noticed that the arrows were still pointing straight to the wall. He tilted his head to the side when the pendants began to shake, as if telling him to check the space that it was pointing to. He quickly felt the wall, looking for anything that is out of the ordinary. He was about to give up when he felt a slight crevice on the wall. He could not believe it. Why did the wall paper cover up something on the wall?

He hurried back to the spot in front of Bakura, getting his pen before rushing back to the space. "You can threaten me all you want later, Yami. I just want to figure something out," he said, feeling as if this was the only way to rid him of the nervousness. Heck, if he surrendered the Millennium Ring to him, Yami Bakura would still probably kill him. So might as well, get rid of the curiosity and have him killed anyway, right? When Ryou finally took out a little square from the wall paper, he saw that there was some sort of locker there. It was a combination locker but it only made Ryou even more curious. He could notice that there was a glint behind the box. What exactly was the combination? He could not help but simply sigh exasperatedly. He knew his next move will be stupid- even more stupid that accidentally rolling down a mountain.

"What's inside that locker is probably what you're looking for. Just... leave the documents alone and you can get whatever is inside the locker," he said; his voice still a little shaky. The Millennium Ring was reacting to this space really weirdly. What exactly did his father say when he gave the Millennium Ring to Ryou? He closed his eyes for a while, trying to think about it.

_'That ring belongs...'_ "To a set of seven Millennium items," he said; his voice barely over a whisper.

Bakura's eyes narrowed even more dangerously than before. This wouldn't do at all. Clearly this boy had no real idea of who he was dealing with, or what Bakura was capable of doing to him. Maybe he was ignorant, or maybe just naive. But it didn't matter in the end, because Bakura was going to have that Ring no matter what. It was his, not this foolish child's! _I guess I'll just have to make him realize..._

"You may not have stolen it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's mine!" He was about to reach out and do something, perhaps hit Ryou, or tear the Ring from his neck and run off with it, but the fact that it began to glow and move on its own was enough to cause the white-haired thief to pause and just watch. He was still angry, yes, but he could ignore it for now. Something important was happening, it seemed. To Bakura, it was rather familiar, but the boy himself seemed to be in a sort of trance, as if this had never happened to him before. In spite of himself, a grin broke out on Bakura's face and he stepped behind the other person, following his short footsteps to the wall. He didn't dare reach out or try to touch anything - that might interfere with what was going on.

He almost laughed, but held back and slipped the knife back into his pocket. He was watching Ryou curiously, trying to figure out what he was doing, when finally the safe became visible. He smirked. Ah, so there was more than one thing he needed in this building! It was a good thing he had run into this kid. It certainly made his life a whole lot easier. Now if only he could get Ryou to give up the Ring...

Without saying a word, Bakura took out the documents he had pinched moments ago and placed them on top of the filing cabinet next to him. He doubted they were of much use anyway, and had taken them only as a means of security for him. If they turned out to be important, he could always use them later for blackmail. But that wasn't something he liked doing very much, and he had something better now anyway: Bakura Ryou.

"There, I put down the documents I had. Now show me what's in that safe," he said calmly. The confident, almost smug tone had come back to his voice, and he crossed his arms comfortably. "Open it."

If what was in the safe was really a Millennium Item, like he thought based on how the Ring was reacting, then he would need Ryou to get it for him. And the boy seemed to know something about the items, so having him around might not be such a bad thing for now. But if he knew too much, or made one wrong move, then he could be easily disposed of.

Ryou was kind of perplexed. Why would a thief like him immediately agree to what he suggested? Maybe his hunch was true. Maybe, he was really looking for the Millennium Items. The real question at the end of the day is basically... Why? Aren't they simple trinkets? Why would someone look for them in the first place? Well, a deal's a deal. Soon enough more questions flooded his mind. Why would Kaiba have a Millennium Item in this room? Why would he have it in the first place? Why is this person looking for them? Why is this ring reacting to them in the first place? What is the purpose for these items? Why was he asking so many questions? He could not help but jump when his voice brought him back to reality. Open the safe. Ryou could not help but scratch his right temple a little. He did not know the combination to the safe but he knew how to crack open a safe.

_'Maybe, it's best to follow what he's saying for now,'_ he thought as he leaned his ear against the cold metal.

Most of the time, people would put up a fight if they were ordered to open a safe that didn't belong to them. At the very least, they would protest. But this one? No, he just listened. Bakura couldn't help but give a confused look to the other male, even though his focus was trained entirely on opening the safe. _Why did he just do it without even speaking up? I didn't even threaten him this time..._

The Hikari winced a little at the sudden temperature but he decided to simply ignore it. He held the dial and started to turn it. He closed his eyes, waiting for the click. Soon enough, he managed to open the safe. It was a really old version so opening it was a breeze. He gulped a little as he faced the safe now. He held the dial once more and pulled it to open the door of safe. Inside it was a glowing item. His right hand was shaking a little as he opened the safe further. He was curious, yes. But he also did not want any trouble. What if Kaiba presses him about this? Will he become a fugitive because of this? Kaiba Corporation is a multinational company so it would be easy for them to locate him, would it not? Ryou hesitated for a while before shaking his head. He has already come this far and there was no way that he could back out now. He finally opened the safe fully and saw the item in its full glory. He held the item in his hands as he brushed some dust off of it. Apparently, it has not been held for a while.

He took a small step forward without thinking, getting slightly closer to Ryou. Now Bakura was curious, too. Who was this kid, and why was he doing this? Maybe it had something to do with their similarities? But that was impossible. They couldn't have been connected in any way, right? Although Bakura did have to admit to himself that Ryou looked very familiar, as if he had seen him before, differences and all. It wasn't just his reflection that was familiar, but everything about this boy: his voice, the way he spoke, the vibes he gave off... almost everything.

But that didn't change the fact that Bakura didn't _know_ him. For all he knew, he was leading himself into a trap by having Ryou open the safe. Yet somehow he didn't believe that even when he told himself. Something about Ryou just stood out to him, made it seem like he could rely on him, even if it was just for this. Bakura didn't trust him, but he knew that this boy would be of some use to him. If not now, then maybe if he stuck close...

The lock clicked open and Bakura heard the sound of metal, and suddenly realized that his mirror image was reaching in to the opened safe. The thief could see the eerie golden glow coming from something in there. When he saw what it was from, then he took a short breath in, surprised in spite of what he had been thinking. "The Millennium Rod..." he whispered. He could hardly believe it. He had come to Kaiba Corp chasing one Item, but had ended up finding two. And both of them were right there, in front of him, within his reach...

"A rod?" he asked, facing his 'other self', hoping to get some answers. He tinkered with it a little bit more when he discovered that the lower half of the item was detachable. His gaze fell on the Eye of Horus. The eye stared back at him as he immediately looked at his Millennium Ring. It had the same built. They were both gold. The intricate carvings on both items were similar and it was obvious that it came from the same source. It was obvious that only one person made them. It was also obvious that these items were items that the thief was looking for. He pulled on the lower half of the scepter and pointed the blade at Bakura. To be honest, Ryou was quite shocked to see that the other side of the rod was actually a blade. Ryou's hand was shaking now more than ever as the questions started to fill his mind once more.

"S-Start talking! What exactly are these items? Why a-are they glowing and stuff? What do you want with them?" he asked, as if threatening the other man that he'd hurt him if Bakura doesn't talk.

He flinched a little when the blade from the knife was directed at him. "Hey, hey," the thief said, raising his hands and waving them in a way that suggested that there was no need to threaten him. "Put that down. I'd hate for you to get hurt..." he slipped his hand back in his pocket subconsciously, as a way of assuring himself. Though the thief doubted that the boy would actually try to hurt him, he could see the fear in the wide brown eyes. When people were scared, they could do things that they normally wouldn't even think of doing, so Bakura knew he would have to be careful for now. If he agitated Ryou too much further...

"The Millennium Items," Bakura started slowly. He had no intention of explaining everything, but just saying something would help a lot. "Ancient artifacts, from Egypt. I don't know why they're glowing," he lied, "But the reason I want them... well, I suppose you could say that I'm a collector, of sorts."

He hoped that would be enough for now. It was just vague enough to keep him protected, but also enough to hopefully satisfy the other. "So why don't you give them to me? You already told me I could have what was in the safe, didn't you, Ryou?"

Bakura smiled coyly, almost teasingly, and held out his hand. He was really only half-expecting to have it just handed over, but then again, the boy _had_ opened the safe and taken the Item inside it without any more prompting that 'open it.' But now he was trying to make a deal of some sort. If he had the Millennium Rod now, he could always come back for the Ring later, perhaps after he figured out just what the Rod actually did. He only had a vague idea, and would rather test it before trying anything big.

Ryou's mind was clouded by this time. He was trying to recall as to what his father said about the Millennium Items. They were a set of seven but they were not normal collector's items. If the ring has the power to locate the other items, then that would only mean that the others had some sort of power or capacity as well. He was pretty sure that the taller man in front of him knew something more than what he was telling and it irritated Ryou a bit. He has been pulled into a hole that he himself dug. True, Ryou actually said that he would give him whatever is inside the safe but now that he knows as to what was inside the safe, he could not bear to let go of the item. Ryou then watched him as he slowly extended a hand as if expecting him to simply hand over the "Millennium Rod" as he coined it. The Hikari was sure that he will not let go if this item without proper answers.

The smaller of the two held his hand before pulling him. True, Bakura was certainly bigger than him but Science was on his side at that time. He pivoted his body so he would be the one on top the moment they hit the floor with a loud thud. Gravity was certainly his friend and once Ryou opened his brown eyes, he saw that the thief was under him and he instinctively placed the blade up against his throat. He was sure that they were making a lot of ruckus and felt as if it was only a matter of time before the security would start to make their rounds. Ryou was panting heavily as the gold gleam reflected in his eyes. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, his breathing starting to get heavier after every pant. He knew he had to say something after what he just did but he could not bring himself to say words, mostly because he did not know what to say in these kinds of situations.

"S-Stop lying to me," he said in between pants. Ryou was not born yesterday so when Bakura started spitting lies to his face it enraged Ryou more. "So... So tell me. What the hell are these items? Why can these rings locate the items? I-I don't... I don't understand..." he murmured, his voice slowly getting quieter and quieter. It seemed as if the Millennium Items were slowly taking away all of the energy from his body. Ryou tried to recall if his father told him about these items. If he was not mistaken, it was something along the lines of magic and sorcery. Ancient Egyptians apparently believed in those kinds of things. He pressed the blade even more against his neck but not to point that it would draw blood. It was just enough to make him feel that there was a blade against his throat.

"Start talking. And this time, do not dare lie."

Okay, so lying obviously wasn't the right thing to do. And it wasn't as if he had outright lied, he had just concealed a bit of information he didn't think it was necessary for the other to know. Really, it just overcomplicated things. This could have been simple, but now it was anything but. And the look on Ryou's face... it was a little bit frightening and sent shills down Bakura's spine, but he couldn't say that he hated it. If anything, it was... intriguing.

And in addition to that, he was on the ground, forced down by the boy on top of him. Albeit, Ryou had caught him by surprise, but that was still quite the feat. It wasn't easy to catch Bakura by surprise, let alone knock him down. He had to give the boy credit for that.

"Not bad..." Bakura muttered, eyes moving to rest on the hand that held the blade to his neck. "All right, I'll tell you a bit more. But it's not as if I lied, really."

He paused a moment, trying to think his answer over carefully, scowling slightly. It was kind of hard to focus with all these thoughts flitting about his mind, from wanting those Items he was so close to getting, to wondering why they were here, why Ryou looked like him, and why he was so strangely interested in the boy that had caught him by surprise. He simply stared for a minute, forgetting almost everything, until his sight focused a bit more. Bakura blinked and shook his head, accidentally making the metal of the blade press closer to him, so it hurt a bit.

"I told you, they're ancient Egyptian Artifacts. They each have different... powers; I guess you could say, though I only know for sure what the Ring does. It can find other Items... and that's all I can tell you about that. Maybe I want to collect them to find out what they do... or maybe I want to use them for something." He smirked, eyes narrowing almost mockingly. Well, he had given the answers Ryou wanted, still hiding just enough information. He hadn't lied at all this time. But still, it was probably better to give the smaller male some more options.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" The thief asked. "Or are you willing to get off me? Not that I don't enjoy having a knife against my neck or having someone on top of me... but that's not the kind of thing I came here for, you see."

But something about that bothered him. Why was he not fighting back? In most situations, Bakura would be struggling, and usually he would have no problem overpowering the person pinning him down, either by force or with his words, and he especially would not have trouble with someone this small or frightened. So what was the problem?

Ryou's heart beat was slowly increasing. He did not know what kind of sorcery this person was using but it seems as if it was working on him. The smaller boy could feel as if every part of his body was crumbling into pieces after every word that he uttered. Egyptian Artifacts that used magic. That reaffirmed what his father said the night before he left for another Egyptian expedition. _'The rod has the power to control people's minds and to delve into them as well. Don't worry much about it, Ryou. That was just an Egyptian Myth so you shouldn't think about it,'_ he recalled, thinking of what the rod can do. His eyes furrowed in thought the moment Bakura moved his neck a little, causing the smaller one to feel frightened to a certain extent. If played right, Ryou could easily kill him and that would make him a murderer. Ryou's mind was full of questions once more. His mind was like a maze and each answered question would bring about two or three more and one would think that they would be in a never ending cycle of questions.

Ryou's eyes suddenly dimmed a little the moment the Millennium Rod started to shine/glow once more. At first he was recalling as to what happened last month, then it began to unravel his past completely. The rod made him recall the day his mother died. It made him recall the day his sister died as well. Then it started to get freaky. He was staring into a desert-like plain and staring into his other self there. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought and when he started to see really dark and scary images, it made him move away from Bakura, leaning his back against one of the file cabinets. His head hit the cabinet pretty hard and he knew that from the loud 'thud' that his head caused. When he moved off of the man under him, he let go of the Millennium Rod, leaving it beside the thief. He clutched onto his chest, breathing heavily as he looked at the floor. That did not look like something that happened to him. In fact, he could not remember ever visiting Egypt before and yet, he felt as if he knew the country really well. He raised his head, looking at the thief once more as his chest rose up and down faster than when he was above the man.

"I-I don't believe in this nonsense," he said, his voice still shaking indicating that he was still a little frightened. Ryou bit his lower lip as he started to think when he heard another voice inside his head. He was used to recalling stuff that his father said or even the instructions that Seto repeat again and again; however, he was not familiar to the sound that he was hearing right now- at least, he was not used to hearing it inside his head. This voice... Was from the man that was talking just a few moments a go. He parted his lips to speak and yet no words came out. Was it really because of the Millennium Rod or was he simply recalling what the man said moments a go? No, he was pretty sure that he was hearing the man plot about how to get the ring off of him right now. He could also hear the clear sound of his voice saying that he needs to get this charm in order to locate the others. Only the completion of the set could bring him closer to the destruction of the life that destroyed his.

Something was not right. For a moment Bakura could feel the hand next to his neck shaking, then suddenly the blade seemed to pull almost away from his skin, as if Ryou's hand had gone limp. This was likely the best chance he'd get to regain the upper hand, but somehow, Bakura didn't move. He didn't even try to - something was holding him there, making him stare at the boy, almost as if he had never seen him before. The feeling was almost... surreal.

Questions were whirling through his mind, few of which (if any at all) belonged to him. Some of the questions Bakura couldn't be sure of himself, as they didn't seem to relate to him and a lot of them seemed to be about him anyway. It gave him a sense of panic and fear that he _knew_ wasn't his, because a moment ago he had been calm and mostly had this situation under control.

There were loud noises, unfamiliar to Bakura, then quick, panicked voices. He couldn't exactly see what was going on, but could tell that this was a memory of some sort, by the way he heard the voices. But they weren't calling him, and the voices certainly didn't sound like any he knew. So what could that mean? Whose memory was he seeing?

Then, the weight lifted. Bakura blinked once, snapping out of his trance suddenly the moment the other body was off of him. The thief hadn't realized how heavy he had been breathing, but now that he was somewhat aware of his surroundings, he shifted and sat up, leaning against the support he gave himself with his hands. _What the bloody hell was that? _He wondered. But he doubted that he would get an answer from the other male, not while he was in this state.

But the boy's words seemed to answer his question. "You saw it too..." he whispered, barely audible. It was then that the dulling light caught his eye, and Bakura reached out to grab the Rod that had been so carelessly left next to him. He groped around for the other half of it, to conceal the blade again. He found it easily enough (suddenly he was glad to have the small room), and re-sheathed the dagger, clutching the golden artifact to himself. Oh, he was so sorely tempted to try and use it again. But that might not be the best idea right now.

Ryou placed his hands on his ears before thinking really loud inside his head, not knowing if what he was doing was going to work or something but it was worth to try it out. _"STOP INVADING MY HEAD!"_ he exclaimed before looking at the other man sternly, almost glaring at him in a way. He hoped that his theory was wrong; however, there was a nagging feeling inside him that made him feel that he was right.

"Invading your mind...?" The thief repeated almost timidly, hardly believing the words himself. So those thoughts he had just had, they really were Ryou's. Had his thoughts gone to the other's mind too? That could be very, very bad. It almost worried Bakura, but as always, he knew he would be able to turn that to his advantage. He wasn't hearing any thoughts now, after the shout for him to stop poking around in thoughts that weren't his, so it was very likely that Ryou hadn't heard that last thing. Bakura laughed. "Silly, silly boy," he cooed. "How can you not believe in this, Ryou? You just experienced the power of these two Items firsthand... and now I don't think either of they're willing to let you go."

Ryou could feel himself slowly slipping away from reality and fall into his trap more on more each second that he's in the room with this guy who looks like him. The Hikari darted his head up the moment he said something regarding his own thought. Apparently, his theory really is correct. Bakura has the power to read his mind and it seems as if Ryou had this power too. He was about to stand up when he heard Bakura's comment regarding the Millennium Items choosing him. Why did they choose Ryou? Ryou is basically the most normal person that anyone would meet. He went to school like everybody else. He didn't have friends. He was a secretary for a multi-million company but other than that, he was really normal. He held the Ring but when was about to take it off his neck, Ryou felt as if the ring suddenly got stuck in his hand.

_And I'm not willing to let you go yet either. _Yami Bakura thought while he was talking to Ryou about the Millennium Items. This of course, prompted Ryou's next actions. Ryou used the cabinet behind him to stand up. Surely, if he was to stay longer in this room, who knows what would happen to him next. He already saw what this man was capable of doing and the idea of killing someone was not too far from the tasks that Yami Bakura did before. Ryou's eyes relaxed for a moment before he started to look for his keys. He knew that he used the said key to get in and normally, one would simply walk out of the room. When he finally saw as to where the key was, he suddenly heard the sound of all the electric appliances shutting off. Ryou then recalled in the news that Domino City's power supply is getting low. Usually, the backup generator would kick-in in a matter of a few minutes but for now, they were both stuck inside the electronically locked room.

When everything suddenly seemed to stop, or shut down, Bakura couldn't help but look around a little bit uneasily. He hadn't been expecting it and wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he stayed quiet about it and did his best to keep the confused look off his face. Thankfully, it was gone entirely within two seconds.

Ryou closed his eyes, leaning his head back a little before parting his lips to speak, "Why will you not let me go? Is it because of the Ring? If you want it, take it. Just... Don't kill me," he whispered. The smaller boy knew that he did not want to give the ring up that easily, but still. If it meant that it would save his life, then he would gladly give up anything just so he wouldn't die by Bakura's hands. He knew how important the Ring was to his father. It was one of his greatest finds and it made Ryou panic a little. What was he going to tell the old man when he sees that the Millennium Ring was not on his person. Nonetheless, he felt as if it was far more important to save his life instead of risking anything. Ryou bit his lower lip before muttering, "Just take it."

He looked over, smirking confidently. "Hm. Maybe~" he cooed, obviously being vague on purpose. He was almost teasing now. Well, if he had to admit it, then the Ring was the biggest factor in his decision to not let go of Ryou like that. But he couldn't deny he had some sort of interest that went further than that. For all the thief knew, keeping the boy around could be fun. He was actually enjoying himself right now: it felt like a game, and Bakura was quite certain he had the upper hand. That was always enjoyable, wasn't it? For him, at least. "You don't have to worry, I'm not going to kill you. As long as I get that Ring, anyway." He laughed deeply, quietly. He had no intention of killing the boy off, but Ryou didn't need to know that.

Ryou felt a rush down his spine as he looked away from the man. True, he was trying to take the Ring off of his body but it seems to really have chosen him as a master, making the brown-eyes Hikari to panic a little. Why was the Millennium Ring acting weird? He used to be able to take it off and on as he pleases. The smaller of the two walked towards his "self-image" as he looked at him sternly. He sat by his side, making no sudden movements to make the thief threatened in any way. _'I can't... take it off.'_

The next thought he heard bothered him a little bit. This boy was more interesting than he had thought, if he was able to keep the Millennium Ring around himself and get it to work. Not to mention the fact that it didn't cause him any pain at all - usually it would have hurt the wearer so badly, maybe even have killed them, if they weren't chosen. So after taking that into consideration, Bakura found that Ryou must really have been special. That was another reason why he wasn't ready to just let him walk out as if none of this had happened.

He laughed slightly. Ryou obviously didn't want to give up the Millennium Ring, and now that he knew that it wouldn't come off anyway, Bakura somehow found that that was okay with him. In any case, it meant he had a new plaything. And that really quite appealed to him. It had been a while since he had had someone around that he could have fun with... even if the enjoyment was not mutual. Bakura got something out of it until he grew bored. And all the things he could do to get the Ring... or even better, to use it without actually getting his hands on it. It was as good as his anyway, if it was reacting now because he was here. Because as far as the thief could tell, Ryou hadn't ever used the Ring before. It probably hadn't responded to the boy at all, until now. But he could use that to his advantage, easily._ This could end up being fun after all,_ he thought, grin becoming slightly more amused.

Bakura shifted so that he was on his knees, facing the other, and reached out to touch the metal of the Millennium Ring. "Hm... really now?" He asked, not looking the boy in the eyes. He was too focused on the Ring itself. Every detail was being memorized, not only by the thief's hand, but with his eyes too. It was oddly warm underneath his fingertips, something that was not expected at all. But his smirk never faded. "Looks like I'm going to have to keep you around then. It would be a shame to lose you so soon." He looked up now, smiling almost cutely (though something in this look was still alarmingly sinister), still of course playing his little game. But he looked surprisingly pleased, whether with Ryou or himself, it was hard to tell.

Ryou immediately slumped back to the ground the moment the other started to talk once more- inside and outside his head. By now, the Hikari was panting, his chest rising and falling every short millisecond. He moved his arm to take off the sweat on his forehead. The hazel-eyed boy felt as if the room was slowly closing in on him, panting heavier at each passing moment. He could barely understand the slurs that he heard from the other boy in the room, mostly because his head was spinning. He did not have claustrophobia, instead, it was more of the 'i'm-in-the-same-room-as-Bakura-when-the-electricity-is-out'-phobia. His hand fell on the side as he barely had both of his eyes opened. His gaze fell on his spiky hair, wondering as to why he looked almost like him. Why did he feel as if they had some sort of connection other than the Millennium Items. Ryou felt as if there was something more than that.

The Hikari closed his eyes for a moment, trying to catch his breath before talking. Unfortunately, he was unable to do either of those things before he felt Bakura closer to him. He wanted to tell the taller boy to back off, even just a little bit. Ryou opened one eye the moment he felt his touch on the Ring. As if by instinct, the hazel-eyed boy instantly tugged on the Millennium Ring, as if it was the source of his life force. Just moments a go, he looked scared and yet, the moment his... his most precious possession was threatened to be taken away, he felt as if he had to do something. Maybe, he has been too attached to the ring. To a certain extent, he regretted what he just said moments a go. He was not willing to give the Ring away that easily- and he was sure as hell that he will not devote his life to this thief.

"I will not fall for your little tricks!" he exclaimed, his eyes holding that degree of determination he did not have moments a go.

If only he did not know how to open a safe... If only he did not pay attention to the Ring when it started to glow... If only he did not pay attention when he saw another person enter the building… If only he did not work late that day... If only he did not work there... If only he did not get the Ring... If only... If only... The situations kept on swirling inside his head. It was as if he had an out of body experience, staring at himself from another person's point of view. Ryou stopped his train of thought for a while, only to realize that they were no longer in the sealed room. Actually, that was an understatement, they were no longer in the Kaiba Corporation. He looked around, realizing that he has not seen the other person who looks like him there. For a second, he felt complacent, hoping that this was all a dream. Unfortunately for Ryou, it was not and at this point in time, he found himself trapped in the middle of what they call the Shadow Realm.

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That was a lengthy chapter, was it not? Now, off you go to review this little story by clicking that small button after this that says "Review this Story" and make these twisted girls really happy, alright? :) But seriously! Tell us what you think and let's see what happens with Ryou in the Shadow Realm! :)

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	2. The Millennium Ring

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A - G o o g l ii a n n a - and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 51 views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw! Please give us more reviews, alright? Around 3-4 reviews per chapter would already make our day! :3

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

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**Chapter 2:** The Millennium Ring

When the other's eyes opened and became hard and determined, Yami Bakura couldn't help but inch back a bit. Tricks? Well, that was certainly saying a lot. "Is that so?" He murmured under his breath, not even really talking to the boy. Really, that just made everything seem even _more_ intriguing and enjoyable. How fun would it be to have Ryou fall for one of his 'tricks' even after the boy had been put on his guard? It didn't seem as if this kid would be hard to manipulate at first, but with that last declaration Bakura was given hope for a sort of challenge. _Lucky me. _

He could feel, all too clearly, how unhappy Ryou was. He was nervous, frightened... all very entertaining for Bakura. He simply grinned, hiding it from Ryou when the other's eyes were closed. But then suddenly something felt... wrong. Bakura's expression changed back now, looking almost confused, and he lifted his hand away from the Ring. It had started to glow again, and the metal warmed even more.

But then something else changed. Something about the air was suddenly... thicker, though the thief couldn't put his finger on what the problem was. He looked back at Ryou, wondering if maybe he had done something by mistake, and found that his eyes, in stark contrast to moments before, were unfocused and emotionless. They were empty, as if the boy wasn't even there anymore. Bakura backed up subconsciously, looking more shocked than he probably would have liked. "What did you do?" He hissed. The Yami could feel his temper rising, even more so when there wasn't a response. Maybe he really was out of it, like in a trance or something. If speaking out loud didn't help at all, then maybe if he heard something in his mind, it would bring him back to normal? It was worth a shot, in any case. _Bakura Ryou, what the hell happened? What are you doing?_

Still nothing. The thief rolled his eyes, sighing in aggravation, and looked away from the boy's motionless body. He turned his attention instead to the Millennium Rod, wondering if perhaps he could use it in some way. Before even attempting to tap into its power, though, he moved his hand downwards, so that he was gripping the handle. He twisted it slightly, pulling the cover off the concealed blade. He studied it carefully, dragging the tip of his finger up the side and feeling how sharp it was. He pressed just hard enough to get a good feel of it, and when he got to the tip, he ended up pressing just that little bit too hard, so that blood was drawn. Still, it was only a small droplet, the wound itself only being about the size of a very small paper cut. It was nothing to worry about, and So Bakura ignored it in favor of studying the Rod more thoroughly.

Ryou tried to maneuver around the Shadow Realm before yelping a little the moment the Ring started to glow. The arrow-like objects started to point at a certain direction. After about ten minutes of looking around, he found himself facing a door. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he reached for the door. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should make the same mistake twice. After all, it was through this cat-like curiosity that he met Bakura. He shook his head, finally deducing that this was the only way for him to get out of this place. Of course the Hikari has not yet been oriented with the Shadow Realm at all and although he only saw one door, there were hundreds and thousands of possibilities in the Shadow Realm. He looked around and found himself in a maze-like room, a dark and cold room indeed. He looked at himself, realizing that the Ring was still glowing. Ryou pinched himself, trying to decipher if this was but a dream and yet, he felt the slight pain of the pinch. After moments of looking around, Ryou finally saw the person that looked like himself on the floor. He still had the Millennium Rod at hand. Did Bakura bring them here? The Hikari slowly stretched his arm out, sitting down beside Bakura, touching the Eye of Horus on the Millennium Rod.

Bakura didn't get much further, however, when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. When had Ryou stood up? He looked back to the boy with minor irritation and curiosity. Bakura allowed him to sit down again, and even to touch the Rod. But he was scowling, and pulled it away without thinking a few seconds later.

"Care to explain what just happened?"

Ryou could not help himself from staring at Bakura. He did not look too scary when he was technically unconscious like this, in comparison to the person he saw in the room moments a go. He looked as if he was in peace when he was like this, as if pushing him to think that Bakura was not the person he met moments a go. Maybe this was the real Bakura or something. Suddenly, the Hikari yelped when he heard his voice. What exactly did he mean by explain? Weren't they there because of his actions? Why was the thief blaming it on him then? The Ring was still glowing at that time, this time, pointing to a different direction. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. He just saw this happen moments ago as well. It glowed just like this the moment he discovered that the Millennium Rod was in the safe.

"Isn't it your fault as to why we're here?" he asked the thief, backing up a little.

Bakura shook his head and growled, more than a little frustrated by this point. "That's not what I meant at all," he said. "It's not my fault you came after me, anyway. I was going to leave this room, but you're the one that locked us in.

"No, what I was asking was why the hell you suddenly blacked out on me. One minute you freeze up, the next you're standing. I didn't even see you get up... it was like you just appeared or something." True, Bakura hadn't been looking at that point, but it had still been unnerving to suddenly have the person next to him be in a different position without him noticing. As irritated as the thief was, he didn't look terribly angry. Just mildly annoyed, because for the most part, he looked rather tired. Like he just wanted to be out of here. He found what he had been looking for, and had even gotten some added bonuses as well. As far as his 'mission' went, he was finished. All that was left was to leave. And besides that, he had a bad feeling about something.

The thief stood up and walked to the door, putting his palm against it, as if that would somehow make the power come back and unlock the door. There was no point trying the handle, was there? They were obviously still locked in. "Damn it... why can't we just _**leave**_?"

For a moment, Ryou felt scared. He realized that if they really disappeared from the Kaiba Corporation, then wouldn't they blame him for the theft. After all, he did not exactly leave the room in a very neat nature. Papers were scattered everywhere. The wallpaper was ripped from the wall. A mysterious safe has been opened out of nowhere. It does not take a genius for someone to deduce that someone really did break in and took something from the Corporation. It scared Ryou to a certain extent, wondering as to what Kaiba would do to capture the perpetrator of the crimes. He hated to admit it, but he wouldn't have been able to get to this point without Ryou. He wouldn't know where the Ring was, and he wouldn't have the Millennium Rod, either. But now both Items were as good as his. And it was possible that another Item was close, judging by the way that the Ring was glowing and pointing again. Bakura turned his attention back to the boy, arching an eyebrow curiously. "What's..."

But before he could finish his question, the answer came to him in the form of a man. The thief's eyes widened and he took a step back, pressing himself against the wall behind him without even realizing it. His arm was raised and he used the Millennium Rod to point at the man that had suddenly appeared. "You!" He shouted. The man was darker than usual Japanese people. He looked as if he was of the Indian Race. In his hands were another Millennium Item- at least that was what the Hikari deduced from the Eye of the Horus attached to the scales. But the fact that he was here now... that couldn't have been right, could it? _How is this even possible? _

**"My name is Shadii. I am the keeper of the Shadow Realms. It seems as if two parts of a whole finally met. The Dark Games will commence shortly..."**

Bakura's eyes flicked from the man's face to the Scales in his hand, then to the Key that hung around his neck. Two Millennium Items, right in front of him... within his reach... but he was too shocked to do anything. He didn't care about the warning of the Dark Games - he had played them before, even initiated them at times. He was familiar enough with how they worked, and the consequences of losing them. The only thing that worried Bakura was the fact that Shadii was even _here_, and how he could get those two other Millennium Items now. If he could get them, then he would have Four. Five, if he counted the fact that Ryou had the Ring. Then there would only be two more to get...

Ryou noticed the thief's expression get even more and more understandable. At first, it was plain irritation but then at the point that the other man entered the space that they were in, Bakura looked different. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Apparently, this man holds very important information on himself if Bakura was acting like that. From what he could gather, Bakura only acted like that the moment Millennium Items were in his line of sight. He closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to remember the Seven Millennium Items. _'The Ring, The Rod, The Scales, The Puzzle, The Eye, The Necklace,'_ he thought as he could not help but stare at the man. The ankh around his neck was not exactly normal looking. He counted the Millennium Items that he just stated inside his head and yet he could only get six. What exactly was the last one?

The Hikari could not help shift his gaze from the man to Bakura and back to the man again. What exactly made the thief to act all scared like that? He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out the right questions to ask him. For example, Where on earth is the shadow realm? What brought them there? What did he mean when he said two halves of a whole? What are the Dark Games? He tilted his head to the side before sighing. He let go of the Ring and almost immediately it stopped glowing. He parted his lips to speak, his eyes wide. He felt as if he was tongue-tied already. If he remembered correctly, Yuugi talked to him about the Shadow Games before. It was something related to the Ancient Egyptian rituals and whatnot. He bit his lower lip, looking at Bakura for answers but it seemed as if the answers could not be read from his frantic face. It was obvious that even Bakura was not relaxed in the situation.

"What do you mean by two halves of a whole?" he started, knowing that all answers might be derived from this question. After all, if they were really connected through some sort of Egyptian kind of thing, then maybe he could conclude something after that. The man remained quiet, making Ryou wonder as to what was happening exactly. He scratched his head a little, somewhat confused. The man is a little suspicious no matter what perspective he looked at it from. He looked extremely out of the ordinary. Ryou backed away a little from the man, before looking at the floor. The Ring had stopped reacting moments a go, right? So there should be nothing to worry about. Maybe... The Hikari parted his lips to speak once more, wishing that the answers were going to be relayed to him soon enough, "What is this Ring for? Who are you? Who is-"

It took a little while for Bakura to regain his composure, but he eventually did. His shocked expression was replaced with a glare, directed straight at the all-too-familiar man. "You should be dead," he hissed, voice barely audible through his anger. The thief almost wondered if Shadii had heard him, but decided that he probably hadn't when the man went on anyway. Shadow Games... they were tricky, but this one sounded simple enough. Of course, as with everything Bakura had encountered so far in his life (this night included), it was probably easier said than done.

**"Two halves of a whole must be needed to complete the Shadow Games. The game is simple- You must prove that your intentions are pure. The scales will decide if you are worthy. You must figure out the connection between the two of you on your own,"** the man. Ryou thought about it carefully. The scales will decide if one is worthy to leave the Shadow Realm? If he was not mistaken, the Ancient Egyptians believed that the heart must be as light as a feather in order to enter the Realm of the Gods. Does that mean they have to get the thing that was in his hands a while ago? Ryou turned to look at Bakura, obviously confused as to what was going on around them. "What do we do now?" he asked, walking towards him and stopping in front of the other.

He scoffed and looked away. _Pure? Worthy? We're as good as dead, then._ Bakura couldn't help but chuckle darkly. He and Ryou were in this together now, whether they liked it or not, so if one of them was doomed, then they both were. The thief didn't feel bad at all about the fact that he would bring someone down with him. Hell, it was Ryou's fault for following him in the first place, was it not? With that logic, then none of this was Bakura's fault at all.

But that wasn't the issue right now. The issue was figuring out this Shadow Game, and how to pass through it while keeping both of their souls intact. "All right... we'll play along for now, Priest. Tell us what to do. Give us the rules... and the penalty for losing." Knowing that would help matters quite a bit. The Penalty Games given out to the losers of the Shadow Games often had to do with the game itself, or what caused the person to lose. If they knew anything at all, it could be turned to their advantage.

Bakura knew, however, it was likely that Ryou might not comply with him so easily, especially if he knew what these Games were like. He had the Ring and knew what it was, so he probably understood what was going on, to at least a certain extent. _Don't panic. You don't have a choice now - you have to play along with me, unless you want us both to die._ He hoped that the boy could hear his thoughts at the moment.

So they knew what the basis of the game was, in any case: Find the connection between them. Was it as simple as just being able to hear each others' thoughts? The fact that they both had a Millennium Item? That they both owned the Ring, at some point or another? Maybe their appearances? Or something entirely different, something they weren't aware of yet? Whatever it was, they needed to find out soon. The clock was ticking, and it was only a matter of time before the Game came to an end.

He could have sworn he heard Bakura's voice inside his head, slightly echoing in a sense. Ryou could not help but to hang his head a little lower before moving towards the thief, looking at him straight in the eyes. What exactly did they have in common? Aside from what they have- or at least what Bakura had that now belonged to Ryou- they had no further connections. Two halves of a whole... Did that mean that they used to be one person? Does that mean they are related in some way? It confused the Hikari a little but he shook his head. If he was going to be confused for the rest of the time that they were there, nothing will ever happen to them. He knew that he could do it and yet, something about Bakura made him feel weaker. Maybe it was because he was intimidated by the other man that looked like him.

He touched his pale white cheek, as if trying to figure out if he was dead. Everything would make sense if he was but obviously, he was still well and breathing. He could not help but sigh exasperatedly. Was the Shadow game a timed game or something or did they have the rest of eternity to find out where they are? Nonetheless, the smaller of the two tried to think hard. _'Maybe we'll get more luck if we look for an escape route or something.'_ he thought, as if knowing deep inside his heart that Bakura was just eager to hear him. Ryou felt flustered for a few moments. It was not too long ago that he felt his privacy being invaded by this man and yet, it seemed as if he has grown accustomed to his voice inside his head. He felt as if he was comforted and yet at the same time, he felt intimidated by the other guy.

By now, his cheeks were like two ripened peaches as he kept on thinking about this nagging feeling he had with Bakura. He felt as if he knew him somehow. It was as if they were really connected by a string of fate or something of the similar sort. Ryou looked at him for a slight moment before looking away almost immediately. He knew that Bakura could read every bit of information he was thinking of and yet, it seemed as if the only things he could 'hear' from Bakura are the ones that he would let him hear. He could not hear the reason as to why the Millennium Items were important to him. He did not hear as to why he was so enraged by the guy that was in the same room as them moments a go. He felt disappointed in himself to a certain degree, feeling as if he was utterly useless in this situation. However, he could not blame himself.

He took a step away from the thief, looking into the darkness. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, tilting his head a little as he tried to look further. He took a step towards the darkness, his heartbeat resounding in his head even more. He squinted, trying to figure out the images that he could see in the darkness. _'Hiero... glyphics?'_ he thought to himself as he saw something similar to a tomb meters away from them. He figured out that what he entered was no small feat. Ryou looked back at the Yami, as if asking him for questions and yet he was not able to settle on any one of them. Suddenly, he found the Millennium Scales not too far from where they were moments a go. On one side of the scales, there was a feather. The scale tipped to the side of the feather, as if waiting for something to be placed at the other side of the Scales.

Shadii's silence didn't do much to raise Bakura's mood. On the contrary, it worsened it somewhat, making his scowl deepen. They knew nothing more than they did before, end they were still being forced into the game. But that didn't stop Ryou from acting at all, it seemed. But somehow, he seemed to know what he was doing. Somewhat, anyway, so Bakura followed his lead where he could.

It didn't get them far, but at least he could feel that the boy next to him had calmed a bit. That in turn helped Bakura to relax. He was breathing more easily now, and his expression went back to being neutral - almost relieved when he heard the other's thoughts. He nodded. _Maybe._ But really, he had no clue if they were supposed to do what Ryou said. He just followed the other as he moved, coming to stand next to him before the Scales.

The thief's gaze flickered from the gold to the feather, then back to the boy that looked so much like him. They had to prove their intentions were pure, yes, but in all honesty, Bakura's weren't. How could you justify to someone, even an ethereal or divine being; the desire to submerge the entire world in darkness? Yes, it started because he wanted revenge, but that hatred had grown exponentially, and now it seemed that nothing was enough to satisfy him. Wanting to destroy everything he possibly could? That was hardly pure, was it?

_Don't do anything to the Scales,_ he warned. _Not yet. Wait until we find out what we really need to do here._

But... What were they supposed to put at the other side? Were they supposed to take it literally and carve out their hearts or something? Ryou hoped not, feeling the spot near his heart a little. _'One must prove that their intentions... Are pure?'_

In the end, the thief knew that Ryou would have to be the one to prove himself; at least for the most part. If he could prove his purity and worth, then somehow it might excuse Bakura. He could hide behind this person, use him as a mask. He could assume the role of a shadow for now - it wasn't as if he wasn't used to it - and just wait. With this in mind, the thief grinned. He reached out and placed a hand on top of Ryou's head, threading his fingers through the long white locks and pulling through them gently.

"Lead the way, Ryou."

Ryou felt the other's hand feel through his hair a little. It sent small chills down his spine before he decided to nod in agreement. He was supposed to lead the way, but to where? His gaze remained on the Millennium Scales for a good 10 seconds before looking away. He could feel as if he was being drawn into the Scales and yet Bakura warned him to stay away from them. Was it some sort of temptation for him? Was he really supposed to leave it alone or was he supposed to take it. Once more he looked at the Millennium Scales, feeling as if he was getting drawn more and more at each passing moment. He knelt near the Millennium Item, reaching for it. He was hesitant at first, balling up his fingers in a tight hold. He might regret what was going to happen next but Shadii did say that they must be tested in order to move out of this place. He did not want to let this moment pass.

He reached for the scales, letting his index finger touch the ball on top of the Eye of Horus. The trays then proceeded to moving, tipping from one side to the other as it began to glow. He took in a sharp breath as he watched the scales move slower now, tipping from one end to the other. If the tray opposite the feather lowers down too much, then they would probably get stuck in the Shadow Realm forever. Bakura watched every move that the Hikari made intently, not daring to take his eyes away from him. It was a silly sort of paranoia, but the thief felt somehow that if he looked away, something might happen that would put both of them at a disadvantage This was a delicate situation, after all. Ryou looked at the scales intently, watching it very critically. His heartbeat was surprisingly normal as he made no sudden movements. It was as if he was scared that if he did something then it might end in disaster or something similar to it. The trays started to move even slower to the point that Ryou felt that it was agonizing to wait for the result. After a few seconds of staring at the scale, the tray fully tipped towards the...

Bakura held his breath and watched even closer when the Scales began to move. He knew in the back of his mind that this would be fine, that Ryou was pure enough to be judged safely by the Millennium Scales, but that didn't stop him from being anxious at all. Unsurprised, but relieved, the thief quietly let out the breath of air he was holding when his thought proved true. So they were safe for the time being...

_'What does this mean?'_ he thought as he looked at the outcome of touching the Scales. He did not know whether to sigh in relief or hyperventilate in anxiety. What was it supposed to mean? Ryou bit his lower lip a little, not knowing if he was supposed to be relieved that he was considered pure by the Millennium Items. He was normal- like what he kept telling himself time and time again. Ryou felt a little darker compared to everyone else though. He knew that he sometimes felt jealous and his thoughts were not always kind and happy but he guessed that he was really pure. He looked around, trying to figure out if something changed in the room. His eyes widened almost immediately at what he saw next. Ryou suddenly saw 7 new doors appear around them, each symbolized by a particular Millennium Item. He scratched his head a little as he looked at Bakura, hoping that he was not irritated with what he just did.

After all, he did present options, right?

He stood up, walking towards the person that looked like him. _'Maybe... you should do that too, Yami. Anou... Maybe you'd get to figure out which door we're supposed to take'_ he thought, knowing full well that Bakura was listening closely. He walked closer towards the other boy, looking at his eyes. His eyes were calmer compared to moments a go and yet he was seeing a look in his eyes that he did not see the first time they met. Did his eyes look more evil? **"I-I... I'm sorry I touched it."**

He scoffed and shook his head._ No. I'm not touching it. Unless you want both of us to die?_ Although he had to admit to himself, the temptation was killing him. He wanted to just grab the Item so badly, to run away with it like the thief he was... but he had more self-restraint than that. Bakura knew he would get Shadii's items eventually, so he could be patient for the time being.

Bakura looked back at Ryou, smirking a little bit._ I already know which way to go,_ he said. He chanced a quick glance at the Millennium Rod in his hand, then to the door that corresponded with it. That was not the direction to go in - it wouldn't make sense. None of the Items did, except for the Millennium Ring. Still, if they moved too quickly, it could cost them. He walked towards the door he thought was correct anyway, touching it, but not opening it. It seemed to feel right, as opposed to any of the others (he had been standing in front of the door symbolizing the Eye before, and it felt different somehow), but it was better to be safe._ Use the Ring,_ he told Ryou._ That will show us the right way, if you use it properly._

There was a small chance that the other wouldn't know how to use it, but judging by the way the Ring had reacted to him before and how he had used it earlier, there wouldn't be a problem with using it now. But what was behind the doors bothered Bakura. What could it have been? What was waiting for them?

Ryou could not help but to be somewhat shocked the moment Bakura did not get mad at him. He took a mental note that Bakura was not as evil as he appeared to be. He quickly nodded the moment Bakura asked him to use the Ring to locate the place where they were supposed to go to. He looked at the Ring, taking it in his hands when it suddenly started to glow. The Ring used to point to all Millennium Items, and yet it seemed that it was waiting for Ryou to tell as to what he was looking for. _'What is it that I want most?'_ he thought when the arrows started to lift, pointing towards a certain thief. He jumped a little before shaking his head, dismissing it as something that Ryou simply wanted the Millennium Rod that was in his hands. Yes, that was probably it... And yet, why did it not point towards the Millennium Scales when it was lying merely inches away from them?

Ryou took in a deep breath before thinking carefully. He wanted to get out of the Shadow Realm. He wanted to get back at the Kaiba Corporation. He wanted to get back to their own world. Soon enough, the arrows immediately moved towards a different direction. It pointed to the Eye, then to the Puzzle, as if locating the right place to point to. He gave it a few seconds to settle as to where they were supposed to go. He finally saw the Ring stop contemplating, pointing to the oh-so familiar Ankh. _'The Millennium Key! The Millennium Key is the Key that will unlock all doors!'_ he thought as he saw that the Ring was only pointing to that. Ryou looked at the Thief, smiling. He was relieved to know that the Ring was only going to point to one door. He touched the door, tracing the form of the Ankh. He felt confused though the moment he touched the knob.

_Clank Clank... Clank... Clankclankclankclank! CLAAAAAAAANK!_

Ryou twisted the knob patiently at first but then he realized that the door was locked. He tilted his head to the side as he tried to figure out where to put the key in- if ever they did need a key when there was no key hole anywhere. He gulped a little, touching the form of the key. He realized that there was a small dent to it. He rushed towards the Door with the Millennium Ring carved on it. He saw that the Ring could be placed in the form of the Ring on the door.

"I think we need to put the Millennium Items against the holster... To open it. There's no key hole. With the items we have, we can only open the door of the Ring and the door of the Rod..." he murmured, looking at the Thief. Suddenly, Ryou recalled that it was the same form of the key that was around Shadii's neck. Does that mean that he actually had two Millennium Items a while ago? Does that mean that was the reason as to why the Ring was reacting to it that much?

Then he realized, the Ring actually pointed to the one Ryou wanted most... Or at least what Ryou was seeking.

This whole thing was truly bizarre. That was the only way Bakura could describe it. But they seemed to be making some sort of progress... right? Two doors were available to them... three if they used the Scales that were right in front of them, but that was almost too obvious. It had to be a trap. Even if it wasn't, Bakura was too paranoid and too experienced at falling for traps to even attempt to take the Scales right now. So that still left them with two doors...

_Wait. We can open three doors._ Bakura's eyes widened as he came to that realization, and reached into his pocket, to produce the Millennium Eye. He held it in front of himself, studying it at every angle, and smirked. He cast a glance over to his companion for the time being, almost daring him to ask how he got his hands on it. The story wasn't pretty at all. Then again, how could it be, when what he was holding was an eye that had actually been used by someone?

But the Ring had pointed to the Key. Did that mean that was what they needed? That would make sense... but they had no way of getting it now, not with Shadii gone. That meant that they would need to try one of the other two doors...

Bakura pocketed the Eye again, and looked back at the Ring's door. This one still seemed to feel right. _Put the Ring in the door, but take it back as soon as the door opens,_ he told the other. He wouldn't risk losing the Ring. In all honesty, putting the Eye or the Rod would have been preferable, but his intuition was pointing him towards going through the Ring's door. But he didn't have all the power over the decision; if Ryou wanted to refuse to place the Millennium Ring in the door, then he could. Bakura couldn't force him at the moment. If they couldn't go through that door, then they would have to use one of Bakura's Items, something he was not looking forward to.

The thief's thoughts drifted somewhat to mere moments ago when the Ring had pointed to him instead of one of the doors. Why had that happened? Had Ryou been searching for the Eye, or was there something else? Judging by the way he had shaken his head and tried something else, Bakura could guess that there was something more complex behind that particular action than just detecting unseen Millennium Items. What was this boy hiding?

Bakura had remained quiet for a good amount of time, somewhat scaring the boy. He looked at the Ankh once more before looking at the Ring. His instincts told him that they were supposed to enter the door of the Ankh and yet, the Ring was not that bad of an idea as well. He could use the Ring to open the corresponding door, but at what cost? What if traps were lining up- traps that would kill them or something? Ryou thought about it carefully, looking at the Ring once more, as if asking it as to what he was supposed to do next. _'What is another way out of here?'_ he thought carefully, watching the Ring if it made any sudden movements. It still pointed at the Ankh before the needles dropped. The Item stopped glowing, as if telling him that there was no other way. The brown-eyed Hikari simply walked to the door where the image of the Ring was on. He looked at the Ring before taking it off of his body. He tried to let it go but it was bound to him already. The boy simply sighed a little before pressing the Ring against the holster. He then proceeded to touching the knob. Ryou could not help but to gulp a little, as if scared that it might not work.

_'Clank.'_

He twisted the knob, quickly grabbing hold of the Millennium Ring once more. He placed it around his neck before fully opening the door. He looked into the path, somewhat scared to go in. Ryou entered the path, but after a few steps, he realized that it was a dead end. Bakura tried to follow Ryou into the door when it opened, but somehow, something held him back. He had pressed his hand to the doorknob, twisting it almost frantically to go back in, but it just would not open. What could be happening in there? What was Ryou seeing? Was he okay? The thief shook his head, trying to forget that last question. It didn't matter that much, did it? He could just take the Ring out of the door's carvings then, and have it to himself. It wasn't as if he had never escaped the Shadow Realm before.

He tapped the wall, trying to figure out if there was a secret in it somewhere but to no avail. He then heard the sound of the door creaking. The boy's eyes widened a little as he ran after the door. His eyes were wide open, panting hard as he told his legs to run as fast as he could. _'Y-Yami! H-H-Help!'_ he thought, feeling as if his legs were going to give in any moment. He pushed away from the door and began to pace, still a bit anxious about what was happening to the other. Damn it, Bakura just wanted him back! He couldn't explain why, but he felt like it was important to have the other here with him. Again, he cursed himself for thinking that way.

He saw that the light was slowly leaving his line of sight. He started to go frantic, wondering as to what was going to happen if he was not able to make in time. Ryou extended his right hand before sliding back to the room that he was in moments a go. He suddenly started rolling and he eventually hit the door of the Millennium Eye. His heart rate hasn't slowed down at all, feeling as if his life was almost taken away from him. He looked at the now closed door, watching the holster as it began to vanish from the door itself.

He leaned against the door, his eyes closed. His mind was thinking of the various things that just happened. He could have died if he was merely a split second late. He cursed under his breath, wishing that he ran faster. If he did, he would not have escaped anymore. He guessed that the said door was not the door at all. When Ryou came back, Bakura rushed over to him and had to resist the urge to hit him out of relief. It wasn't easy, but he managed to keep his composure, just sighing in annoyance. He wouldn't apologize for pointing him in that direction, because for all he knew it could have been a good thing, even if the panicked expression on the boy's face was telling him otherwise. Bakura turned away and looked at the door to the Ankh, just to look away from Ryou.

He looked at the Ring again, as if blaming it for what just happened, only to figure out that the Ring was now pointing to a different direction. It started pointing to the door of Millennium Scales. He then walked towards the said scales, thinking of what Shadii told them moments a go. The scales were to decide that they were worthy. But at the same time, they were supposed to find out the connection between the both of them. He did not even look at the thief when he took the Millennium Scales in his hands. Once more, it tipped to the direction of the feather. He looked at the door of the Millennium Scales, trying to press the item against the holster only to find out that it will only accept the said Scales if they were...

"Equal," he stated as he looked at the thief. So that was what Shadii meant with the use of the scales. They were supposed to balance it out with the pure intentions and the evil intentions. The main question would simply have to be... Is Ryou 'pure' enough to balance out the darkness in the thief's heart? He walked towards the Yami, taking in a deep breath. _'When he said that the intentions must be pure... He was referring to me. But when he said that the scales would decide if we are worthy... He was referring to both of us. Two halves of a whole... Like Yin and Yang. We're supposed to balance each other out... If my theory is correct... Then I would balance the darkness in your heart,'_ he thought, looking into his eyes. Ryou knew that he was saying nonsense mostly because he was talking about purity and darkness but this night has not exactly been normal for either of them. Somehow, Ryou was hoping that this was the real answer to their problems... Maybe it really was the answer. His other hand balled into a fist, closing his eyes. What if he couldn't balance it out..?

"I should be able to balance it out."

_... I don't like the sound of that at all,_ he admitted in his mind. But what else could they do? The Ring was pointing to the Scales, and oddly enough, Bakura felt as if he could trust this boy. He could hear his thoughts, and he was judged to be pure by the Millennium Items... so there was no reason _not_ to trust him. Still, the thief found it difficult: he had never trusted anyone but himself, only going as far as to use other people and dispose of them when necessary. It was hard for him to admit to needing some help.  
He rolled his eyes and went forwards anyway. "You'd better be right," he said quietly, and reached forward to grasp the handle, right above Ryou's hand, just barely touching it. It felt strange to finally speak out loud again, and to hear the others voice. They had been speaking through their minds for so long; it was almost as if they had forgone their voices. He was snapped out of these thoughts however when the sides of the Scales began to move. Bakura waited patiently and a little bit nervously to see which way they would tip. The sides appeared to be competing, with the end with the feather moving down against Ryou's purity, then back up just as quickly with Bakura's darkness. He closed his eyes, as if that might help him focus, and maybe that would help somehow, even though it seemed impossible. He wished it would just slow down and stop already. This was getting to be too much...

He opened his eyes when he felt the movement slow, and eventually stop. Almost to his surprise, the Scales _were_ balanced. It was perfect. The thief cast a glance over to Ryou, wondering if they really were somehow two halves of a whole. It really was starting to seem that way, but the idea was impossible.

He stepped forward, still holding the Millennium Item, looking towards the door that went with it. "Should we try it?"

Ryou watched as the trays started to balance out, his heart rate rushing tenfold as the tray moved to the side where there was nothing on it. He could not help but to gulp a little, watching it teeter to the other side and then back to 'his side'. He noticed that tray where nothing was on it stayed low more than the tray with the feather on it, somewhat scaring the Hikari a little. After all, if this plan was to fail, he had to take full responsibility in case they do get stuck in the Shadow Realm. Deep inside his heart, he was wondering if he really could do it. Could he really outweigh the darkness deep inside his heart? Did he really have what it takes to do it? He gasped as he looked at the Millennium Item, watching the fact that the trays were of equal value. He heard Bakura's voice, turning towards his direction. He did not look as scary as when he they first met. If not, Ryou felt certain... warmth inside the other. A smirk played about Bakura's lips as they placed the Scales into their place on the door. Ryou seemed almost as eager as him to get out of here, almost desperate. It was fun to watch if nothing else.

He quickly nodded at the other's suggestion and soon enough, they were already pressing the artifact against the form. The door quickly opened, revealing a room full of ankhs. The light then proceeded to move his head around, trying to figure out as to which one it is. He looked at the Ring before consulting it, as to what Ankh was the Millennium Item. By the time they entered the next room, the thief knew not to do anything. If he tried to pick out one of the Items on the wall, it would likely lead to disaster, so he just waited patiently for Ryou to start searching for the real Item with the Millennium Ring. They were lucky that they had the Ring, as opposed to another Item, that was for sure. It really was useful... and they hadn't even used it to its full power yet._ Maybe in time... _he thought. If things went well, then he definitely could show what the Ring could really do. Perhaps Ryou himself could be able to use it that way... but then again, he had been judged 'pure', so it was quite likely he would be horrified at what powers he could potentially use.

His back was facing Bakura as he held the Ring in his hands. Once more, he asked the Ring as to what it is that Ryou wanted most. The arrows of the ring started to react the moment he asked the question and once more, it pointed towards the direction of the young thief. He let his other arm lay on his side as he looked at the floor, his cheeks like ripe peaches in a cold day. Why would he... 'want' Bakura in the first place? Maybe, it only did point to the Items- after all, the thief had two items.

He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the arrows pointing at him. "Don't waste time trying to find my Items," he said calmly. In the back of his mind he knew there was something odd about that, however. Why would the boy be searching for two Items that he already knew the location of? There had to be some other reason that the Millennium Ring was pointing to him, and the ideas that popped into the thief's mind made him grin. He wasn't prepared to say anything about it, though. Not yet. Bakura's grin widened, and he chuckled deeply.

He closed his eyes, turning to his side and once more, the arrows pointed to his direction. He tried to force the needles down but to no avail. He shook his head vigorously, finally realizing that the only way that he would get the needles to stop pointing at the other boy was if he asked another question. He then quickly asked the question regarding the Millennium Key. Soon enough, the needles started to change its direction, moving towards a particular key. Soon enough, he was in front the real Key, causing Ryou to rejoice a little. He immediately took the Key before he started to hear the sound of stones crumbling down. _'Oh shit, not again!'_ he thought before running as fast as he could, tackling Bakura to the ground in order to reach the place just in time. What happened to the door was exactly the same thing with what happened to the door of the Millennium Ring.

He simply waited, studying the room while Ryou got the Key. The moment of calm and curiosity didn't last long, however; soon he could also hear the sound of crumbling, and could actually feel small tremors about his feet. _What did you do? _He demanded, but he felt as if he already knew. He began to step towards the door quickly, but felt himself get knocked over by some powerful force and

this turned out to be Ryou. He could have done without the tumbling, and it showed on the thief's face. The tumbling he could live with, but he really did _not_ need another body on top of his to hold him down. He glared. "Thanks for that, but I could have gotten out on my... own...?"

Ryou started to pant, his eyes closed shut as he leaned his body a little on his chest. The Hikari then started to wince a little before opening his eyes a little. His gaze fell on the thief, causing his heart to move even faster. They were inches away from each other, making the boy on top blush somewhat. Why was he so fidgety? Moments a go, they were exactly in the same position and yet it seemed as if this one was different from before. He lifted his torso a little, the Millennium Ring dangling from his neck, still glowing as the arrows started to point at the thief again. Ryou immediately tried to empty his mind but no, the Ring was still pointing to him, the arrows pressed against the other's chest.

The thief's gaze fell to the glowing Millennium Item as soon as he felt the pointers touch his chest. His scowl increased a little bit, but then softened back into a grin. He lifted one hand (the other was pinned underneath him quite uncomfortably) and grasped the cord holding the golden artifact around the boy's neck. "Well, well," Bakura cooed, giving the cord a harsh tug so that Ryou's eyes were forced to maintain contact with his own. "Look at that, Ryou. You have the Key, and the Ring is still pointing at me. And you're blushing, too." He laughed again, leaning up and smiling in that same coy, almost cute manner he had before. "Why is that, hm? I know it's not about the Millennium Items..." His eyes narrowed, making him look slightly more devious than before, and his head fell back against the ground. The thief reached up and threaded his fingers through his light counterpart's hair again, fisting it gently, but enough to hold him in place. "You're keeping secrets, Ryou, and I don't like that."

Ryou could not help but to mutter a quick apology the moment he realized that he did knock the other man over. He was scared that he would not be able to make it in time- that was the main reason as to why he dove for the door. He was not quite sure as to why he felt the need to somewhat explain his actions but he still felt as ease knowing that the darkness was still beside him. Once more, Ryou felt fidgety, not knowing what to say exactly. Was he supposed to tell him the fact that the Ring points to whatever person or being did he want most? He felt somewhat shy to tell him that fact, mostly because he knew that he would have to end up admitting that Ryou wanted... Ryou shook his head at the statement that he was already blushing. He was not red now... Was he? He thought carefully, his eyes fixated on the other's dark chocolate ones.

"The Ring... It points to..." he muttered, feeling reluctant to say the unique feature of the Ring. The Item was still glowing; It was still pointing at the thief. Ryou was not thinking of the thief at that time and yet it was as if he was subconsciously thinking of the other boy. He could not help but gulp a little the moment he felt his fingers through his hair. He shuddered at the feeling, only causing the Ring to somewhat 'point at him more' than moments a go. Maybe, he was thinking of the other boy but what Ryou did not understand was the fact that... He did not want Bakura to know that Ryou wanted him. Apparently, the Ring could hear his thoughts and as if to make him writhe in pain and agony, the boy noticed that the Ring brought him closer to the thief- as if the other boy had a swallowed a magnet or something similar to that.

"The Ring points to... It... Points to... Whatever you want," he whispered, his blush simply deepening in color, his eyes avoiding the other's now. He could not bear to look at the thief after what he just said. God, it was as good as telling him that Ryou wanted him. It scared the Hikari as to what the other was going to say next. Ryou then took the Eye and the Rod from Bakura, putting it to the side, as if to prove his point. He showed the fact that the Ring is still pointing to him. Ryou could not help but to freeze the moment the needles still kept it's uniform direction. All of the needles were simply pointing to the thief. "I was just... thinking about you. I mean... If you were... okay from the fall... Or... Or something..." the boy stuttered, keeping his head down and his gaze away from him.

He tried his best to move out of his grasp, wanting to walk towards the door of the Millennium Key. This was going to end the moment they leave the Shadow Realm, right? Then he should just hurry up and put the stupid key in its stupid holster to end this stupidity once and for all. _'Why is it still pointing to him?'_ he thought as he tried to somewhat silence the Ring.

"I know what it points to," Bakura said, chuckling lightly almost to himself. "But that doesn't explain why it's pointing to me and not my Items... but I think I'm getting a pretty good idea." In Bakura's defense, although he was arrogant at times, this wasn't one of them. What other reason would there be for the Ring's pointers to fix on him?

He shook his head. In all honesty, the thief was beginning to tire of the Shadow Realm, and was even more annoyed by the fact that Ryou was still on top of him. None of this showed on his face, however; he kept a playful grin firmly in place, showing absolutely no discomfort whatsoever. He was genuinely amused, but at the same time, just impatient. Bakura let his fingers run through the other's hair again, to the very ends of it, and let the boy go out of his grasp. He squirmed underneath him until he was able to push Ryou off of him a little and slide out from underneath him. Bakura stood up and dusted himself off (despite there being no real reason to) and turned to make his way to the door that required the Key to open. He smirked. "I'm not through with this conversation yet," he declared. "But we can finish it once we get out of here. I'm tired of the Shadow Realm, aren't you?"

He went back towards Ryou and took the key from him, leading the boy towards the door behind him. He placed the Millennium Item in the door, and simply gazed at it for a moment. He then turned back to the other white-haired male and shrugged. "Maybe you'd better open it," he said. "Since you're the one that actually found the Key." And besides, it seemed that Ryou was more aware of what he was doing. Bakura couldn't have gotten this far without him, as much as he loathed admitting it. But it really did interest him the way the Ring was unwilling to stop pointing at him. He cast a glance over and noticed that it was even still glowing and indicating him. Maybe that could be used to his advantage later on... in fact, Bakura knew that it could. However, if he even slightly let on this thought, then this whole thing could fall to ruin at any given second. But then again, he couldn't deny that he had an interest in this boy that he couldn't quite place... even if he didn't have the Millennium Ring, there was still something overall very intriguing about Bakura Ryou.

_I'll just have to wait a little bit longer to find out what it is._

As soon as the door opened and he saw himself through it, Bakura closed his eyes and nodded. The grin on his face showed that he was quite relieved this whole thing was over and done with. "See you outside," he said, stepping through the door without hesitation.

Ryou could not help but mumble incoherent sounds the moment he felt the other's fingertips against his scalp. He closed his eyes before figuring out that he was already lying down on the cold cemented floor. His mind was a little boggled, mostly due to the thief in the same vicinity. He turned to his side before using his elbow to sit up. He folded his legs, hugging them while he watched the thief make his way towards the Door. He looked at the floor, praying that the Ring around his neck would stop glowing. It frustrated him a little, knowing that Bakura loved every second of this so-called torture. However, the Ring would not heed to any of his prayers when it simply lifted and pointed to the direction of the thief once more. Ryou leaned his forehead on his knees, wondering as to what situation he got himself in to. It pissed him off how 'helpless' he was at that said moment.

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	3. Coats and Pancakes

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 100 views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw! Please give us more reviews, alright? Around 3-4 reviews per chapter would already make our day! :3 We got 5 more reviewers since the last update and it truly truly makes us happy to see those messages! :) Since the 3 review threshold has been met, the third Chapter is upon you guys! But don't worry, we're not really using the chapters as ransom or anything. We just really love reviews. /reviewwhoringpart1

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

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**Chapter 3: **Coats and Pancakes

He lifted his head the moment Bakura asked him to open the door. The brown-eyed boy could not help but to groan to himself in a desperate attempt to defy the taller boy. Ryou then stood up before grabbing the eye and the rod and then giving it to him. He grabbed the key from his hands before holding it tight. He was praying that for once, things would go his way; that for once, things would actually go according to his plans. He immediately pressed the Key before turning the knob. As expected, the door immediately opened and at the other side of the door, it displayed their bodies in the room that they were in moments ago. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, trying to figure out how he was looking at himself when he was in the Shadow Realm. Could it be that what he experienced for the past few hours was merely a dream? _'I felt everything... Everything seemed so real... Ugh. I must be losing my mind. I must be,'_ he thought sternly before walking into the other side of the door.

As soon as the door opened and he saw himself through it, Bakura closed his eyes and nodded. The grin on his face showed that he was quite relieved this whole thing was over and done with. "See you outside," he said, stepping through the door without hesitation.

Ryou 'woke up', gasping as he tried to intake as much as possible. He looked around, realizing that they were once again in that dark room with the files scattered everywhere. He stood up, his knees wobbling slightly when the power went back on. He squinted at the light from outside, his eyes trying to focus on the things around him. The sudden sound of the air-conditioning unit shocked the boy, trying to differentiate what was happening to him and the 'dream' he just had. He was about to sigh in relief when he gasped, realizing that the thief was still in the room as him. He looked around, looking for the other Millennium Items that was in his 'dream' when he realized that both the Scales and the Key was nowhere in sight. He backed off a little, hitting the cabinet as it created a little 'clank'. He stared at the other person, his chest rising and falling in a very fast pace now. _'Was everything truly a dream or did it happen? Was the Shadow Realm real? Then I technically admitted... Oh God...'_ he thought before hiding his face behind his right palm.

He jolted a little at the sound of the voices in the hallway. He could hear the resounding footsteps slowly approach their room. He pressed his back against the file cabinet, his eyes wide open. _'If... If they find me... They're going to send me to jail for stealing the Millennium Rod. Oh God... Oh God... What am I supposed to do, Yami?'_ he thought, his 'voice' frantic as he tried to contact the other boy. He pressed his hand on the floor, clawing it a little mostly due to their nervousness. He looked at the door before looking at the other boy, confused as to what he was going to do next. Maybe, Yami had a plan in mind. After all, he was the one who broke in the Kaiba Corporation. He must have had a plan on how he was to go out. The real question is: Where would Ryou go after this session. True, he can follow Yami out of the big building but where will he go after? If he went home, Kaiba can easily trace him.

When he came to, his head hurt a little bit. Strangely enough, he felt groggy, and it took a moment for him to figure out why. Leaving the Shadow Realm left him a bit disoriented, but it wasn't something that would last long by any means. "I hate that place..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head and pressing his palm to his eyes. It was quiet at the moment, but unfortunately that wouldn't last very long, as it sounded as if the power was coming back, and a rather unwelcome voice penetrated his mind. _Yes, Ryou, it all happened. Be quiet for a minute, will you?_

Two men suddenly entered the room, swaying their flashlight around the room. Ryou could not help but press his back against the cabinet even more, scared that he will be found; that they will be found out... They? Oh God, he was thinking of Bakura. Ryou closed his eyes, shaking his head lightly as if telling himself that now was not the right time to fuss over this.

The thief stood up slowly and looked around, taking mental note of everything that was in the room, specifically the Millennium Items. He still had the Eye and the Rod, though the latter of which was on the floor where he had woken up, and Ryou still had the Ring. That made three Items... but what about the Scales and Key? Bakura looked around quickly and cursed under his breath when he realized they were gone. "Shit... of course. As if getting hold of them would really be that easy..." he sighed and put his face in his palm again, trying to think things over. So Shadi was alive, and he had those two Items... did he have the Puzzle and the Tauk, too?

Voices coming from outside snapped Bakura out of his thoughts. He cursed again and grabbed the Millennium Rod off of the floor, ducking behind a cabinet as well. He was across the room from Ryou, sending the boy a warning glare. _First of all, don't panic. Stay quiet and make yourself look small... there's a chance they won't see us._ He knew that the chances of that were slim, bordering on impossible, but that was all they could hope for now.

The door opened suddenly, two men stepping in and searching the room with their flashlights. "What a mess..." one of them said. The other one muttered his agreement, and then suddenly seemed surprised. "Someone's been in here. Look." He pointed to the hidden safe, which hadn't been properly closed. _Shit,_ Bakura cursed again. He simply waited and listened as the two men agreed to sweep the room before leaving.

Now what were they supposed to do? The guards didn't need to search all that thoroughly to find two people hiding there with the stolen Item in their hands. The thief twitched slightly, coming to a realization. _Maybe..._ he sighed, and clutched more tightly to the Millennium Rod. He had no idea if this would work - he had only heard rumors of its power, after all - but it was worth a try...

**"Hey! I found..." **one of the men began to say, as he shone his light on Bakura. The Millennium Rod in the thief's hands was glowing, and he had it raised in front of him. The man had stopped moving, and the other one came over to help, but he too had ceased in his actions. Bakura stood up, glaring at the guards. "Get out of our way," he said simply, and the two men moved to the side. Well, this is interesting. It felt strange to be able to make these men do whatever he wished, but it gave Bakura a sense of power that he found he really quite enjoyed. "Come on, Ryou, we're getting out of here," he told the boy.

Once they were out of the room, Bakura turned back to face the men. He smirked, and did his best to hide his thoughts from the boy he was with. Ryou really didn't need to hear him tell those two guards to make sure they were never seen again. As soon as he had told them to go through his mind, the guards also left the room, walking away in the opposite direction of the thief and his companion. Bakura laughed. "Well... that was easier than I thought. Let's go."

He began to lead Ryou outside, the way he had come in, so that they could finally get out of Kaiba Corp. Tonight had been more successful that Bakura had dared to hope.

Ryou could not help but stare at the guards the moment they moved towards the opposite direction. He was quiet while they left the room. He was quiet while they left the halls. He was quiet when they left the building. All he could hear was the sound of their footsteps echoing behind them as he kept his head down. He was aware of the consequences of his actions and yet he did what he was told with no complains. It was as if they were tied by a string of fate and he could not simply say no to the other's demands. Soon, he found himself looking at the building of the Kaiba Corporation, scared of what was going to happen next. Kaiba was a rich man and he could easily find Ryou if he wanted to. He looked at Bakura's back, wanting to ask him if he could go with him and yet he could not help but feel as if he was intruding with the other's business. _'What if he says no?'_

Ryou clenched his hand into a fist as he parted his lips to speak. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to beg for him to take Ryou with him? Didn't Bakura say that he was not going to let go of this Hikari? Ryou felt both scared and yet 'relieved' that the other was not going to let him go. But, what if Bakura did not want him anymore especially after what happened in Shadow Realm? Especially after that... incident. At that moment, the Ring started to glow once more, lifting a little before pointing at the thief once more. He shoved it beneath his shirt as he tried to stop himself from thinking of what happened earlier. If that was real, then he really did indirectly proclaim that he wanted that little thief. No matter what he told himself about not really proclaiming it to his face, the fact still remains that the Ring was pointing to the thing... Or for this case the being that he wanted most.

He walked up to the thief, his form shaking a little mostly due to the cold draft. "I guess I should go home now..." he whispered, looking at his feet. His shoes have been muddied up a bit due to the puddles that he stepped on simply seconds a go when they made their way outside the building. He folded his arms now, his form still shaking. Although he was already wearing a long-sleeved shirt, he was still feeling the cold wind press against his face a little. The Hikari could not help but to bite his lower lip before staring up at him, as if waiting for the right answer to appear on his face. Bakura's face was as stoic as ever, his heart beating faster. Was Bakura's face really this... He shook his head in thought, realizing that his cheeks were once again pale pink. He was slightly scared of the fact that he was entrusting himself to a thief. But at the same time, he felt that he was ready to entrust himself... Even to a thief.

_'Unless you would want me to go with you,'_ he thought, hoping that he was listening to what he was thinking. He immediately bit his lower lip before pressing his palm against his right cheek. He was sure at this point in time that he was really blushing quite deeply. He could not understand the Science behind it but it seemed to Ryou that Bakura made him feel flustered all the time. Weirdly enough, this kind of frustration did not bother him at all. Ryou kept his head down after that statement, knowing that he was already walking on thin ice. What did Bakura have? Why was he this bothered by a common thief?

Bakura had the decency to act as if he wasn't hearing Ryou's thoughts. Ignoring the random small things that flitted through the others mind was easy enough, if not just a bit annoying. Maybe he would have to teach the boy to guard his thoughts a bit better... but then again, that would make it harder for Bakura to perceive the important thoughts he would need to find out. So for now, living with the discomfort was okay.

He glanced at Ryou when he spoke up, raising an eyebrow with interest. "Home?" He repeated. Of course Ryou would have a home to go to, otherwise it wouldn't make sense. But that struck the thief as being interesting. If he could, then maybe he could go with Ryou? Perhaps stay with him? And if not, he could at least find out where the boy lived, whether he wanted that or not. Unfortunately for Ryou, the thief had gained enough experience hiding from people that following someone without being seen wouldn't be any trouble to him at all.

He rolled his eyes. "You look like you're freezing to death. Here." He had worn a coat tonight, knowing it would be chilly (and besides it was easier to hide stolen goods underneath a long coat like this), but decided that Ryou needed it more than he did, so he shrugged it off and draped it over the boy's shoulders. It was almost a kind gesture, and Bakura really wasn't sure why he had done it. It had just seemed... right, somehow. He hadn't even done it to gain anything in return, and that seriously worried the thief._ What's the matter with me?_ He wondered. But the Yami decided to think on it later. For now, there were more pressing things to worry about... like getting out of here and keeping an eye on this boy.

He shook his head and continued on. "I'd rather not go home, to be honest. I hate it there. But if you feel you have to come..." he shook his head once more, putting emphasis on how much he didn't like that idea. "I don't plan on going there any time soon, so unless you want to wander the streets with me for a few hours, then it might be better if you went back home."

Bakura sighed heavily. Sure, that wasn't preferable, but he had enough tact to not just demand that the boy give him permission to tag along to his house. Regardless of whether or not he was invited, the thief fully intended to be going over there anyway. It wouldn't be hard to find out where Ryou lived if he played his cards right... and stayed quiet about it. Hopefully those last thoughts weren't heard... and if they were, then Bakura was in trouble.

He laughed, trying to play it off a little bit, and shifted the coat on the Hikari's shoulders when it looked like it was about to fall off. _I don't understand how, but you can be really cute. Are you doing that on purpose?_ He thought, more to himself than to Ryou, though he didn't bother trying to hide that thought. But what unnerved Bakura the most was that, somehow, he actually did mean it.

_... There's something wrong with me. _

An obvious pout appeared on the boy's lips the moment Bakura technically turned him down. He was holding onto the coat with one of his hands, still keeping his head low. He knew that he should not have asked the thief to grant him his request and yet part of him just wanted to know if the other was willing to 'have him by his side' in the most literal sense. He felt Bakura pull the coat on his shoulders even more the moment it started to slip off of him. The situation itself was weird. Just hours ago, he was scared to death when he saw the knife in this person's hands and yet, these hands are also the ones that are catering to his health. It shocked Ryou a little when he saw the 'human' side of Bakura. He did not know that the other could be this... This caring- at least to him. He sighed heavily before nodding, somewhat knowing that he should go on his way.

Suddenly, he heard a faint sound enter his mind. Once again, the mind link was working between the two of them but this time, the sentence made the smaller boy a little bit too flustered. He was... Cute in Bakura's eyes? What exactly did he mean by that? His heartbeat was pounding in his own ears as his eyes made contact with the other's. Mostly due to the cold, Ryou's cheeks were looking like freshly picked tomatoes. It did not help that Ryou was a little pale as his blush somewhat deepened at the other's comment about him. How was he supposed to be cute? For the past few hours, he had done nothing but press Bakura against the floor or manage to tumble over him and neither can be considered as cute. Half of him wanted to ask as to what he meant by that while the other wanted to somewhat cherish the human and semi-romantic side of Bakura.

This can be considered as romantic after all, right?

Once again, Ryou's curiosity got the better of him when he started to ask his questions. _'What did you mean by...'_ he started, not having enough courage to say it out loud. It was bad enough that he technically confessed to a complete stranger just a moment ago and now, he was confronting him about being called cute. _'Me... Being cute..?'_ he thought, slower before looking back down on his feet. He did not have the self-confidence to look back up at the thief, mostly because he felt as if he was going to melt if he was going to look into his eyes even more. Bakura's eyes were usually eyes full of hatred and revenge and all things cold and yet every time Ryou looked into them, he could not help but feel somewhat warm. He bit his lower lip the moment he could feel that the Ring was reacting to his emotions once more. He held both sides of his coat and placed it on himself.

He turned around, chuckling slightly to himself. "Look at me, acting all different. Sorry, I did not mean to say that," he said, trying to focus on something else besides the thief behind him. Ryou could feel his self-control slowly slip away but he knew that this was not the right time to let down his guard. He was with a complete and utter stranger and yet he was willing to put everything on the line for him. The idea was quite stupid for Ryou and yet he could not fix his ideas straight. Why was Bakura making him all flabbergasted? There must be more to him than what he was showing to the Hikari and yet it was fine for him. He felt the urge to somewhat know him better even though he knew that he was putting one of his feet inside the grave. Bakura was dangerous- he knew that and yet even the most dangerous of all things could not stop him.

He was falling quickly and it concerned Ryou to a certain level. "Well, I best be on my way. I'll... give you your coat when... We see each other again," he said, not even looking at the thief this time. At least with that statement said, he was sure to meet up with him again, right? It made Ryou feel confused as to why he wanted to see the thief once more and yet deep in his heart, he knew that he was not lying. He did want to see Bakura again, and if the coat was something that would keep their connection then so be it. If not, he could always trace the thief using the Ring. He turned a little, flashing a courteous before walking home. Rain started to pour on his way home and yet, Ryou was quiet throughout his walk. He could not help but think of the other boy, causing his heart to race once or twice during his walk home. He eventually found himself in front of his gate. He entered the house, taking off his shoes before walking towards his couch. He looked at the Millennium Ring before curling up against the coat of the thief. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes as he listened to the drops of water as it hit his rooftop.

He was falling quickly... And yet, Ryou seemed to be fine with it.

Bakura decided to steadfastly ignore the question he was asked. He really did not want to answer it, and hadn't even particularly meant for the boy to hear him. All the same, he had, and Bakura had gotten the response loud and clear, but that still didn't mean he had to respond in turn. He could and would pick and choose what he felt was needed to be heard and said.

It was all the more relieving when Ryou said he didn't mean what he had asked. That meant that Bakura really didn't have to answer, and that was relieving in itself. But he was acting different? The thief didn't know enough of the boy's personality to say one way or another whether he thought that or not, but he didn't mind so much. And besides, if he was acting this flustered after only having just met the thief, then that just made things a lot easier for Bakura. Plus, he didn't mind at all how oddly Ryou was acting... true enough to what he had just said, he did find it rather endearing.

Bakura mentally slapped himself for thinking that way. It wouldn't do good to get attached right now, not when he was so far from achieving his goal. And he needed Ryou now... but he wouldn't later, right? So if he got attached, it just might make things harder to stop. But then again, Bakura used to be known as the King of Thieves, and had never before been so attached to someone. As far as he knew, it would still be easy to get rid of the boy when he needed to. It was just that right now, he didn't like the idea of that one single bit.

He nodded, smirking as Ryou said they would meet again. Good, so he wanted to meet with the thief some time. That would end up being sooner rather than later, as Bakura planned to go with him right now even without the invite to do so. "All right. Don't get lost," he teased, and watched the boy leave.

Bakura waited a good few minutes before moving in the same direction his Hikari had, making sure to keep him not too far out of sight. Just far enough that he could hide without being caught, but not get lost. It wasn't entirely easy, but he managed to make his way to Ryou's home, watching him go inside from a distance._ Lucky kid, he gets to go inside,_ the thief mused. _But soon, so will I._ He was careful to hide these thoughts so that he didn't get caught at the last possible second.

Ten minutes later, Bakura went to the front door and tested to see if it was open. He was getting desperate to go in, because of the rain. He didn't like being wet very much, and would rather be inside where it was warm. "Damn the fact that I gave him my coat," he whined. When he realized the door was locked (Ryou was smart after all), the thief set to work at picking the lock. It was no trouble at all considering he had broken into Kaiba Corp earlier that night.

Even though he knew that maybe he should have waited longer before going inside Ryou's home, Bakura was impatient. He made sure to close the door behind him as quietly as he could, so as not to alarm the boy or alert him to the fact that there was a crazed thief in his house. Now, if only he could find the boy... but that wasn't a priority right now. Curiosity got the better of Bakura, and he walked past the entrance into the rest of the house, intent on figuring out the layout in case there was something valuable he might want to take, or if there was a place he could hide if he needed it.

Ryou tossed and turned in his sleep, trying to find the right position to sleep. His eyes opened wide the moment he heard the door open. He heard the sound of the rain louder than moments a go and that's the main reason as to how he knew that a person has entered his house. He quickly closed his eyes, trying to figure out the identity of the person. He listened as the person cautiously made his way around the house. Ryou waited, just in case the person was approaching the couch. He did not move a muscle, waiting for any sudden moments but there were none. However, Ryou knew who this person was after a few minutes. He heard the voice fill his mind, the voice that infiltrated his head just moments ago. His right hand twitched a little as he tried to understand as to why the thief entered the house...

Of course! It's because of the Ring! Ryou opened his eyes once more, looking at the back of the person as he quietly sat up. He watched him make his way around the house, as if looking for something. Was the thief looking for him? Ryou highly doubted it, knowing that Bakura was only interested in the Millennium Items. He knew at the back of his head that the thief did not care for him at all and yet, majority of him still wanted to believe that he could have been human. At the end of the day, a thief is still a thief and it irritated every part of his body that he let his defenses down so easily. How could he believe that he was actually attracted to this guy? Whoops! Where did that come from? Ryou looked away from the thief and stared at the coat that wrapped around his body. Did he just admit to himself that he was attracted to this thief?

He knew that Bakura was bound to notice him so he decided to make his first move. "Have you missed me already?" he asked, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Deep inside, he was a little hurt. He tried to think of the Bakura that was concerned about him. He tried to think of the Bakura that actually lent him the coat. Heck, Ryou was even trying to remember the Bakura that called him cute and yet to no avail. The only thing that was entering his head is the idea that the same Bakura is inside his home- obviously breaking in to his house. He tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and yet in the end, nothing entered his mind. Nothing was breaking the fact that Bakura has just broken into his house. He quickly bit into his lower lip, looking deep into his eyes now as he tried to remain calm.

"What... What are you doing in my house, Yami?" he said out loud, his voice cracking a little. Deep inside, Ryou quickly felt broken. The brown-eyed boy stood up, trying to exude self-confidence but at the end of the day, his eyes managed to find the floor once more. Ryou gulped a little as he simply kept quiet, waiting for the other to say something. _'Prove me wrong... Prove... Prove that I'm wrong... You can't possibly be the same Bakura... No...'_ he thought as he immediately took the coat off. He threw it at the other boy, his mind turned over already. Everything confused Ryou at this point.

Who was this Bakura?

Growing bored quickly with roaming around aimlessly, Bakura paused in the hallway, thinking things over. Maybe he should check on Ryou... but then that might not be a great idea at the moment. _What to do, what to do... _he mused. Thankfully, the answer came to him when Ryou spoke out.

He grinned and followed the voice, finding where the boy was sitting down. As if mocking the owner of the home, he was smiling as if he found this all to be a lot of fun. "Of course I did!" He exclaimed, though not terribly loudly. The pained expression on Ryou's face didn't made Bakura worry a little bit - had something happened, or was it just because he had come in without permission? _It doesn't matter now, so stop thinking about it,_ he scolded himself. Really, why did this boy's feelings seem to matter so much to him right now? He was here for his own benefit, not Ryou's.

He caught the coat, a little bit surprised at how quickly and suddenly it had been tossed at him. Instead of putting it on, the thief just held it, giving Ryou an even stare, not amused or angry at all, just neutral. "... I'm not here to do anything to you," he said. And that much was true. "I told you, I didn't want to go home. When it started to rain I got soaked, see?" He gestured to himself, obviously still very damp from the rain. "You had my coat, and it would take me more than an hour to get home. This just seemed faster and less painful."

Bakura shrugged to end his speech, playing his actions off as if they were nothing. He really hadn't intended to hurt Ryou, but once an idea got into the thief's head, he acted on it as soon as he could. Why else would he have broken into Kaiba Corp even though most people would have dismissed the idea as stupid or suicidal? He sighed in aggravation, returning Ryou's thoughts with some of his own: _I am the same Bakura, so stop thinking like that. What did you think I was going to do, anyway?_ Because as much as he would have liked to take the Ring from the boy right now, it wasn't possible, and he didn't want to kill him off. There was more than one way to use the Millennium Ring's power to his advantage, and besides, that sounded more entertaining than just stealing it.

"Tell you what... for being so patient with me, I'll do something good for you in return." He crossed his arms and smirked, ready to accept any more accusations or questions or even demands that were possibly going to be thrown at him. "Just name something and it's yours."

Ryou was taken aback at the mental note that the other said, making feel slightly sad. His eyes saddened a little and his lips slightly contorted into a slight pout. His heart suddenly dropped, realizing that Bakura was right. Bakura did not change at all. Ryou was the only one that thought wrong about the boy. He was the one who speculated about the personality of this malignant being. It was wrong for him to slowly fall for a thief like him and yet up until now, the brown-eyed boy is still not able to turn his feelings around. Ryou could not understand as to why he seemed to feel so hurt about discovering more about Bakura and every emotion were clearly plastered on his face. His gaze strayed away from the thief, looking at his right hand as it started to fidget against the other one. He did not know as to why he was so affected by a mere thief.

He slowly rose to his feet, making his way in front of the other guy before sighing lightly. "I guess it can't be helped that you're here right now. I'll get you a fresh set of clothes so you won't catch cold. You can sleep in one of the rooms upstairs," he muttered before making his way to his own room. He rummaged through his clothes, trying to find something that would at least fit the young thief. He then found a blue and white striped shirt and some loose-fitting jeans. He made sure that his mind was empty as much as possible. He tried his best not to think about the thief and it was good that he was not able to reveal any emotion in his thoughts. He looked at the clothes before walking down the stairs once more, finding the thief there again. He placed the clothes in his arms, trying his best not to make eye contact.

"If you want to take a bath... The bathroom is just there," he whispered before making a gesture towards the bathroom. Ryou was quiet after that, thinking of the right words to say. The Hikari did not want even want to make small talk with the thief. Right now, he simply felt... hurt and broken. After all, the man in front of him just crushed every ounce of trust he had in his body.

He was about to protest the offer of new clothes, but by the time the words got out of his mouth, Ryou had already left the room. So Bakura just waited, arms crossed; wondering if this was really all right. Obviously he had taken the wrong approach, and possibly damaged things between them, but then that just meant that he would need to work harder to repair things. He stayed lost in these thoughts for quite some time, until he noticed Ryou come back and hand the clean clothes to him. He avoided eye contact with the boy, opting instead to look to the side as he muttered, "Thanks."

There were a few more long, silent moments of waiting until Bakura finally decided to ascend the stairs as well. He would make sure that he didn't go to the same room as Ryou, so when he came across the room the boy was in, he looked in briefly and passed by it without entering. He said a quiet "Good night," unsure if it was even heard.

* * *

The boy then went upstairs to his room once more. He curled up in a tight ball, staying in the corner of the room. He leaned his head against the wall, hugging his knees tight. He did not even have enough strength in him to write to his dead sister. He did not even have enough in him to cry and whatnot but to no avail. Ryou bit his lower lip, trying to stop his thoughts from going through the mental link. _'One thing that I want most... Anything..?'_ he thought before sighing lightly, _'I want...'_ His voice trailed off before muttering the name that was in his mind for the past few hours. The name he took as his own as well.

Bakura.

Ryou really was a foolish boy. If he thought that a few small incidents of kindness from Bakura were his real personality, then he was sorely mistaken. And yet when he felt like it, the thief really could be nice; however, it wasn't often that he had the inclination to do anything like that. For some reason, Ryou brought that out in him.

The next room was where the thief ended up sitting, changing his clothes from the wet ones to the fresh, clean, dry ones before hanging up his discarded clothing. It would dry overnight, and in the morning, he would leave again. But for now, he lay down on the bed and allowed himself to get as comfortable as he could without getting too much so. He listened to the sound of the rain and let Ryou's thoughts drift through his mind. He didn't get an answer to his question, the train of thought apparently being stopped before it was finished.

_I do owe you, Ryou,_ he thought, just before turning over and closing his eyes. _If I see you in the morning, then let me know..._

Bakura was not about to fall asleep, not until he knew for sure that the other was had drifted off. He wondered vaguely if they were able to read each others' dreams as well as their thoughts.

Ryou was tough. He would usually try to stand up for himself as much as he could. He would usually do whatever is right and even if Ryou could not do it, he would usually tell himself that at least he had the courage to try. At the same time, Ryou was also fragile. Like an ice cube on a hot summer's day, he would find himself following the forces of nature and melt according to nature's will. He was quite unsure of his feelings towards Bakura. Heck, wanting a thief as much as he wanted Bakura right now truly dumbfounded the white-haired Hikari. Who exactly was this thief and why did he haunt Ryou even in the solace of his dreams? He was unsure of what he's feeling and it did not even feel right anymore. His eyebrows furrowed in thought as he could not help but hug his legs even more as he tried to stop thinking about the white-haired man.

Like a cat drawn to the door of curiosity, he found himself stuck under the hold of this wolf. Ryou wanted the feelings to cease. He kept on telling himself that Bakura was nothing more than a petty thief. But at the end of the day, he finds himself uttering his name as someone that he truly wants. Deep down inside, he knew that he wanted the thief- even though it all ended up in denial. He found it ironic that he was someone who wanted nothing but safety but when it came to this stupid emotion, Ryou was actually willing to gamble. Ryou looked at the clock, watching as the second hand slowly move second after second. The white haired boy read the clock, realizing that it was way over midnight. He groaned a little as he tried to stand up, holding onto the ledge of his bed. Eventually, he found himself on top, pressing his cheek against a soft pillow.

Ryou eventually cleared his mind as he started to hear the other's thoughts enter his head once more. He heard the other boy say something about owing him or something similar. He groaned a little as he tossed on his bed. He was not thinking straight, trying to stop all of the things from rushing into his head. He could not help but notice that Bakura was at ease with him and yet the moment he would start to relax in Ryou's presence, the thief would then proceed to putting up his defenses once more. He pressed his arm against his forehead, his chest rushing up and down as he tried to calm himself down. There was something utterly confusing about the Bakura. It was as if Ryou was having a weird sense of déjà vu, mostly because he could not help but remember fragments of his memories with Bakura. He was pretty sure that it was not his first time meeting Bakura in the Kaiba Corporation.

It was as if... They've seen each other before- at least in Ryou's perspective. _'The thing... The person I want most...'_ he thought, not even caring about the mental link that they had. Bakura had heard his thoughts about this before, right? He knew that it was him... He was the one that Ryou wanted most. _'I want... a thief even though I shouldn't. I want something almost illegal. I don't even understand why. Maybe it's because he has been showing... Kindness for the very first time in my life,'_ he thought, his head starting to get heavy. He blinked once or twice as he looked at the window. He watched as the small droplets slither down the glass, watching as they flow. _'And, it's wrong to want him. I know that it is and yet, why is it that... You don't leave my thoughts even for a second,'_ he whispered the last part to himself before slowly nodding off to sleep.

The sound of rain was actually sort of soothing and calming for the time being, leaving Bakura's mind at ease. In fact, he was starting to feel relaxed enough to drift off to sleep, when the quiet sound of the other boy's thoughts floated back into his mind. Thoughts that seemed to be all about him, as strange as they were. Why was Ryou thinking about him so much, and why was he thinking so much about the boy? They had only just met, and yet... it did seem like they had known each other previously. It wasn't only Ryou that felt that way, it seemed.

But that wasn't important! Bakura turned over where he was lying, burying his face in the pillow underneath him. They had only just met, so they shouldn't have been familiar to each other. So why were they? Did they really have more in common than just the Ring and their appearance? And what was he even still here? Certainly it couldn't just be the Millennium Ring... because what use would he have for it right now? He was done for the night, no more reason to find another Millennium Item... he had two, was keeping one close, and knew who had two more... that was more than he had expected in one night, so why was he still so agitated?

He had to fight for a moment to stay where he was and not get up to just see Ryou. Lay his eyes on the boy once, just to make sure he was okay... but there was nothing to harm him here! Nothing! The thief sighed in aggravation, and turned over again restlessly.

It didn't take much longer for Ryou to fall asleep, and when Bakura was sure that he was really out, he closed his eyes. _Likewise, Ryou,_ he thought. And he wasn't sure at all that he liked that. But like so many more things that night, it was out of Bakura's control. All he could do for the time being was to let himself fall asleep.

The last thing that he thought of before he actually drifted off was the boy in the room just down the hallway, and what it was about him that drew the thief so inexplicably close.

* * *

Ryou winced a little the moment he felt the rays of the sun press against his pale cheek. He could not help but groan a little the moment the rays hit him more after a few minutes. He opened his eyes a little, his vision a little hazy. It took around two seconds for him to realize that it was already morning. He blinked once or twice before turning to his side only to find out that he was already at the edge of the bed. With a loud 'thump', he found his cheek pressed against the floor boards. Once again, the white-haired boy could not help but groan due to the sudden contact. He used his elbow to prop his body upwards and eventually sat on the board. He looked at his bed, finding out that the sheets were damp, mostly because he slept in wet clothes. Standing up, he stumbled a little as his head slowly began to ache like crazy.

He then made his way towards his closet, grabbing a shirt and some pajama pants with bears on them. It was Saturday, if he was not mistaken so he technically did not have to face the wrath of Kaiba just yet. He pressed his palm against his forehead, feeling a bit toasty. He did not notice that his cheeks were a little colored that morning as well, probably signifying a slight fever coming on but Ryou did not mind. His head ached a little but it was something that a good breakfast cannot solve. Ryou then left his room, not even bothering to look for Bakura. For all he knew, he had already gone off to somewhere else and broke into someone else's house. He then proceeded his way downstairs, finding himself looking around his house a little, as if wondering if Bakura took anything. Surprisingly enough, he found the room at the exact same order as it was last night. He sighed, almost exasperatedly mostly because he could not believe that he actually doubted Bakura even for a second there.

Wait, why did he trust Bakura in the first place? Was it really because he truly… wanted him?

The boy simply shook his head in thought before walking towards his kitchen. He was planning on making some cup noodles for breakfast, even though he knew that it was not something that he wanted to eat that day. He would much rather prefer something more solid like pancakes or at least toast. He sighed, finding himself too lazy to make either of those right now when he remembered that there was a possibility that Bakura was still here. He looked at his cupboards, finding some mix to make instant pancakes. He wondered if Bakura wanted to eat something he cooked. Maybe he was hungry already. With newfound confidence, he started to make some pancake batter, ingredients scattering here and there. It took him two tries to crack an egg right, mostly because the first ones caused some egg shells to jump in the batter. He made sure he got every last shell before putting the other ingredients in his bowl.

Ryou was not a bad cook at all; however, knowing who was going to eat the said pancakes, he wanted to try his very best to please him. He did not even know why he bothered at all but he just thought of it as common courtesy. He shrugged, just thinking that it was something to repay him for his lending Ryou his coat- at least that's what he kept on telling himself just to ease his mind. He did not want Bakura. No. He did not. After a few more tries, he finished making around 8 pancakes. He decided that the others were rejects, mostly because he burned a couple of them. He placed two on his plate before putting the rest on another. He placed some syrup on top of his 'masterpiece' before walking back up. Ryou pressed his ear against the doors, trying to figure out as to which room Bakura was in. After a few seconds of not knowing as to what room he chose, he finally gave up and used the Ring to point to him. As much as he hated to, Ryou once again thought of what it is that he wanted most.

Soon enough, the Ring started to glow once more, pointing at one of the doors. It actually pointed to the door next to his room. After dismissing the thought, the Ring ceased to use its powers, as if somehow getting in control already. Maybe he was starting to rule over the Ring? He shook his head a little, just thinking that the Ring was starting to be kinder to him- for now at least. He placed his hand on the knob, remembering the events happened in the Shadow Realm. His hands shook a little, the water shaking inside the glass. He looked at the door before turning the knob and then pushed it a little. He saw the other's sleeping form, his heart racing a little. He looked so harmless when he was sleeping like this. Ryou's lips formed into a small smile as he looked at the thief on the bed. He placed the tray on the table beside the bed.

He gulped a little before blushing even more. His head was starting to hurt even more, thinking of probably caressing his cheek or something. But, Ryou hesitated a little. He kept on telling himself that he absolutely did not like this guy. It was impossible for him to actually like someone like Bakura, right? His eyes softened even more as he watched the young thief sleep peacefully. His mind wanted to touch him but Ryou was able to stop himself from actually doing it. He immediately left the said room, leaning his back against the door as he panted a little. Ryou hated acting like this around Bakura. _'I must be losing my head,'_ he thought before sighing.

When at last Bakura's eyes opened, the first thing he felt was uncertainty and panic. Where was he, and how did he get there? He jumped up quickly, hands roaming to slip into his pockets and search. The Millennium Eye was still there, thankfully, and when he realized that, a wave of relief came over him. But that didn't stop his worry for long; he still couldn't remember where he was or why he was here.

Then his eyes came across something glinting in the sunlight beside the bed, and he looked at what it was, finding that it was another Millennium Item: The Millennium Rod. That was sufficient in bringing back the thief's memory of the last night: He had gone into Kaiba Corp, met Ryou, found the Ring, taken the Rod, and followed the boy back to his home without saying anything to him... yes, that all seemed right. _Ah. So that's what this place is,_ Bakura thought. It certainly seemed to make sense. But then where was Ryou? Outside, downstairs?

It was then that he noticed something else: there was a tray beside the bed, with a plate of pancakes on it. Well, that was odd. What was that doing there? Did Ryou bring it? The thief shook his head; it seemed impossible that the other had come in, because he was a light sleeper and probably would have woken up if he heard the boy come in. But maybe the boy was quieter than he thought... it wouldn't be the first thing about Ryou that surprised Bakura.

The thief moved towards the tray and stared at it for a little while, before tentatively taking a sip of water and starting to eat. He wasn't about to let this go to waste, and it had to be for him if it was in this room, beside the bed he had just been sleeping on. If it wasn't he could apologize and make it up to Ryou later. But that wasn't a concern right now - Bakura was starving, since he hadn't had an actual meal for a while. He hadn't eaten at all the previous day, and had only had small things before that. He wasn't much of a big eater, and preferred not to waste time, only eating when he was incredibly hungry, almost starving, like now.

Because he ate slowly, and didn't normally eat a lot to begin with, the thief ended up only eating a few of the pancakes before deciding to stop. He wondered vaguely where Ryou was, or what he might be doing, and decided in the end he would just find out. So Bakura stood up, looking at the Rod that had been placed on the bed next to him. He didn't need to bring that out of the room with him; nobody was likely home but him and Ryou, so there was no risk of it being taken. The Eye, however, Bakura would keep close; it was small enough to stay hidden, and besides, he would not stand for it to get lost or stolen. He had gone through far too much to get it, and giving it up would just be stupid. That was why he had been so relieved to find he still had it when he woke up; it was one of the hardest things he had ever stolen, after all.

This in mind, he walked towards the door, then pulled it towards himself to open it. He gave a small cry of surprise when he noticed that Ryou had been leaning on the door, and jumped back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked, voice somehow calm despite the annoyance that was obvious in it. Having someone waiting outside your door like this was not something the thief really enjoyed, even if it was just harmless Ryou.

Ryou was breathing heavily the moment he fell backwards when the door suddenly opened. He widened his eyes, looking at Bakura before looking away. The Hikari was slightly scared mostly because he did not know how to explain to the thief that he was waiting for him. He did not even know it himself but at the same time, Ryou wanted to... Wanted to what exactly? He stood up, patting the back of his head some, mostly because it hurt. He made sure that he made no eye contact with the taller boy, knowing that the moment he would, a flush would simply appear on his cheeks. The smaller boy looked at the inside of his room, realizing that some of the pancakes were already eaten by the boy inside the room. He was not quite sure as to what he was feeling but he was slightly happy that the other actually ate what he prepared.

Ryou could not help but yelp slightly upon the question that came from his mouth. Bakura sounded angry- no furious. He could hear that tinge of annoyance in his voice, his eyes immediately saddening when he realized that the thief was annoyed at him. His lips were back to its usual pout looking up at him before looking back at the floor. He was staring at the Ring for a few seconds, making sure that it was not doing something that would put him in more troubles. He furrowed his eyebrows as Ryou thought about what he was supposed to tell the thief. Was he supposed to say that he was hyperventilating because he actually felt something while Bakura was there? Was he supposed to talk about the feelings that were running through his heart and back? Was he supposed to entail how flustered Bakura makes him every time he was there? Maybe now is not the right time.

"I just felt tired... My head hurts," he said, half-truth. His cheeks were once again flushed, partly due to the slight fever budding deep inside. He was trying to catch his breath as well and the weird feelings that were playing through his head were not helping at all. "Did... you like the pancakes?"

Bakura was still staring down at Ryou, this time with an almost amused smirk on his face. This kid really was bizarre... but this odd behavior was sort of endearing. As soon as the thought went through his head, though, Bakura scolded himself for thinking it. He was getting attached, he realized, and knew he shouldn't be - but it was hard not to, somehow. And that just made him hate this fact even more.

"You were tired, hm? That doesn't explain why you waited outside this room, against the door..." He laughed and knelt down, getting closer to the boy on the floor. "So, were you waiting for me?" He asked. The thought of that wouldn't surprise him, based on how Ryou had been acting and the way the Ring had been pointing to him... plus there was that pseudo-confession from earlier, which only gave the thief more reason to think that Ryou had been waiting for him. It was odd, but the idea made Bakura laugh.

"You're a strange boy," the thief commented lightly. And how true that was: not only did he behave strangely, but he had the ability to use the Ring without invoking harm on himself, and to control it too. In Bakura's experience, there hadn't been anyone like that, and there probably never would be another. He shook his head, attempting to dispel the thought, and reached to pull Ryou up into a sitting position, then a standing one. He smirked and shrugged.

"Yeah, they were really good. I haven't eaten for a while, so I appreciate it." That surprised him somewhat; not only was he _thanking_ someone, but he was actually expressing appreciation! There really has to be something wrong with me, Bakura decided. Suddenly his expression became a bit darker, becoming more of a scowl. These thoughts were starting to irritate him now - they were dangerous, and yet he couldn't help himself.

He sighed and took a step forward, passing Ryou and then pausing, like he couldn't make up his mind. There was an awkward pause in which he hummed, then finally found the words he was looking for: "I... should probably go. Thanks for letting me stay the night, Yadonushi." He tilted his face a bit, giving an uncertain look and nod to the boy, hoping that the little nickname he had given him wasn't going a bit too far. He felt as if it suited Ryou, if not for the only reason that the boy had let him stay without real permission, and he had been a good host of sorts. Besides, he owed Ryou. It only made sense to call him that.

In the back of his mind, he wasn't sure he wanted to leave just yet. He felt... unfulfilled, like he hadn't done enough to repay the boy for his kindness. Bakura hated being in debt, least of all to another person.

He could feel a slight tug from the corner of his mouth as he started to smile, hearing the fact that Bakura actually liked the food that he prepared. He was not able to contain the happiness in his heart. By this time, Ryou was already admitting to himself that he, at the very least, has a crush on Bakura. It was more of an admiration, he kept telling himself, scared of what will happen the moment he actually falls for the thief. What if he was truly in love with the collector? He looked at him, his eyes almost longing the moment Bakura started with his good bye. It ended with a name that Ryou knew. Well, Ryou was actually thinking of why he knew the term. It was not a term that he heard in class nor has he heard of it when he was out with his friends. It was a term that escaped from the other's lips before even though it was the first time that he said it to him directly.

He tried to remember where exactly he heard that from, realizing that he has heard it from a dream somewhat. He tried his best to put a smile on his lips, looking away. Of course, Ryou did not want Bakura to know that he wanted the thief to stay. Of course, he did not want to admit that he wanted to latch himself to the thief and beg him not to go. His thoughts were flowing smoothly through the mind link with the smaller not even knowing that he was filling the other's thoughts about Bakura himself. Ryou looked at him, his eyes saddened but he still tried to smile at the other boy in front of him. Ryou wanted to keep Bakura close and yet, he still did not know why. For a good two minutes, he was just staring at his deep chocolate eyes, noticing every feature on his face. Ryou placed his hand on the Ring before smiling truthfully. He could always find Bakura whenever he wanted. Ryou knew that now.

After all, Bakura was the thing he wants most right?

Ryou nodded quickly before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Try to stay out of trouble then," he whispered, patting his shoulder some. Part of him actually wanted to grab the said thief and simply hold him. Heck, he wished he still somewhat 'hated' the thief so he can tackle him once more- and feel that someone was actually beside him for once in a long time. He gripped his shoulder a little, showing his hesitation with letting Bakura leave. He could not muster the right words to say. _'Don't go...'_ he thought as he still smiled at the thief. _'Stay with me, please...'_No matter what he was going to say, Ryou knew that the thief was bound to leave him. Ryou was not someone who has not felt the pain of actually losing someone. He has felt that pain too many times before for him to actually feel the hurt. So why was he so aggravated that Bakura was about to leave?

The Hikari immediately ran back to his room before he could say something that he did not mean. He could hear the faint footsteps as his love began to leave the house. Wait, did he just say love? He immediately shook his head, closing his eyes as he prayed that the thought would simply leave. When he opened his eyes once more, he saw an all familiar turban along with the dark man wearing the said turban. His eyes fixated a little as he rubbed it, feeling his forehead some. _'I must really have a high fever for me to think that...'_ **"Yes, Young Hikari. I'm here in your room,"** he started as he moved closer to the small boy. Ryou took a step back before hitting the door, his eyes widening as he said the name of the man in front of him, **"Shadi... How can you be here? You're... The Keeper of the Shadow Realm, right?"** he asked, tilting his head a little.

Soon enough, Shadi was already holding his hands as he placed the Millennium Scales in his possession. Once again, the scale tipped towards the side of the feather, causing the young boy to stare at it. What was Shadi trying to tell him? **"You are the proper holder of the Millennium Scales. Your task is to give this to the pharaoh. Keep this hidden from the tomb robber at all costs. Ryou Bakura,"** he said sternly, gripping onto his hands. Ryou did not understand what was happening but he tried his best to. Pharaoh? Tomb robber? What exactly was he saying?

**"You are the new keeper of the Scales, light. Your heart is pure but it is frail. You should not fall for the trap set by the tomb robber,"** he whispered and with that, the Egyptian disappeared once more, leaving a confused Ryou. Who was Shadi, exactly? And more importantly, Who was Bakura?

The thoughts flooding his mind were enough to drive him almost crazy. Why was Ryou thinking like that when that had only just met, and why was Bakura agreeing with him? It was just... stupid. Pointless. Dangerous. With this in mind, the thief began to retreat, saying a quick goodbye before going down the hallway and descending the stairs.

The thoughts continued to chase him, and he wondered if somehow something might be the matter with him, especially considering the fact that he was debating on whether or not he should stay. He had given himself an opportunity to come back, even to have Ryou come to find him, but thinking back, maybe it hadn't been the greatest idea. And he caught some sort of thought about feeling the pain of loss... the thief also knew that feeling all too well, though he didn't want to admit it. Though he was curious about what the boy could possibly mean.

Shaking his head, he decided to turn back and go to the room he had stayed in during the night. He looked at the bed, where he had placed the Millennium Rod, and went to pick it up. Leaving it behind as an excuse was not very bright - what if Ryou didn't notice it and someone took it, or worse, the boy learned how to use it and what it really did? That could be disastrous! And aside from that, it just wouldn't make sense for him to 'forget' it considering how hard he had worked to get it. No, if Ryou asked why it was still there, he couldn't lie. It would be too obvious.

As he began to leave the house again, something caught his attention... voices? No, just Ryou's voice. He wondered what could possibly be going on in that room, and wasn't really hearing any thoughts. Could the smaller male be hiding them? Or maybe he just wasn't thinking... or maybe something was wrong. _Come to think of it, he looked a little bit feverish,_ Bakura thought. He knew that this was just him grasping for excuses to stay a little bit longer, but if there was a possibility of him being needed for a while, he would take it without hesitating.

He knocked on the door to Ryou's room, and sighed. "Hey, Yadonushi. Are you all right in there? You sound a little bit off." He frowned, wondering vaguely why he was still here and why he cared so much. But it was starting to become clear - even so, Bakura would just continue to deny the reason he was coming up with.

Ryou felt slightly disoriented about what just happened. He was the proper holder of the Millennium Scales? Truly, Ryou did not really understand as to why the Egyptian would want to give the item to him. After all, when worse comes to worse, the Hikari was still willing to give the item to the thief. He could not help but smile even more upon receiving the item. Having two items would mean that Bakura was sure to come back to him, right? Ryou could not fully understand as to why the thought made him feel giddy and happy and all those pleasant emotions rolled into one. All he knew was that he was willing to do absolutely everything to see Bakura again. He leaned against the door, this time, a smile plastered on his lips as he kept the Scales close to his heart. He did not care at this point if Bakura was only using him to get the items, mostly because he felt that he was of use to someone. It has been far too long since the last time he felt that way.

Suddenly, his heart jumped upon hearing the other's voice. Was he talking to him through the mind link? No, the sultry voice travelled through the door and floated slowly into Ryou's ears. His heart started to thump in his chest, echoing in his head as he tried to find a reason as to why Bakura was still there. Also, he was thinking as to why Bakura was actually concerned about him. Would it not be better for him if Ryou was already weak or something? Would it not be a better opportunity to steal the Millennium Ring if that was the case? In any case, Ryou hurriedly opened the door as he hid the Millennium Scales behind his back. The warning that Shadi stated truly confused Ryou. He wanted to ask the thief if he knew something about the tomb robber. He wanted to ask as to how he knew Shadi in the first place.

"K-Kura!" he exclaimed, his cheeks flushed already. He could feel his vision slowly slip away but he still wanted to savor the moments that the thief was here. He reached his hand with his free one, feeling the cold skin against his burning hot one. He was smiling brightly; however, his eye lids were already a little heavy. "I have... a gift!" he exclaimed, panting in between words as he moved towards the thief. He took the item in his hands and as he took a step forward, he somewhat lost his balance, causing him to lean on the other's chest. Ryou was still awake, only panting and breathing heavily. Surprisingly enough, he managed to somewhat stay on his feet but most of his weight was already on the thief. He listened to the other's heart beat as he tried to raise the Millennium Scales, but apparently, he did not have enough strength to hold onto it.

With a loud 'clang', he released the item from his hold as he started to breathe heavily. As a kid, Ryou did not have the same resistance to sickness as much as the next guy. However, the boy hadn't been sick for the long time so now that he actually has a fever, he was slightly confused as to what he should do. "Shadi... Gave... the Scales..." he whispered, his voice weak. He tried to stand up straight but found out that he was barely standing already. The grip on the other's hand was slowly loosening, feeling as if all the strength in him was fading away. _'Stupid fever...'_he thought, apologizing to the thief through the mind link. In the shadows, Shadi was staring at the two white-haired boys, shaking his head. Maybe he took the wrong turn when he gave the item to Ryou but at the same time, he felt as if it was the right path to choose. After all, this light was slowly eradicating the darkness from the taller boy. Maybe, just maybe, Ryou was enough to kill the darkness.

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That was one big chunk of fluff but no contact yet! Do you want to see them kiss? Well, wait for a few more chapters. I just loooove making Ryou so gullible but give the guy the BOTD! He technically doesn't know that Bakura's the thief. xDD No worries, our little camper will figure these out soon enough.

:3 Now, off you go to review this little story by clicking that small button after this that says "Review this Story" and make these twisted girls really happy, alright? :) More reviews tend to fuel us to posting faster, seriously! This chapter is dedicated to TimeAndRhythmDoesIndeedSleep, sunokofairytale, Partners-N-Crime, and Shadowe!

See? These reviews triggered an 11,000-word chapter! So please, review if you want to see what happens when Bakura has to take care of a sick Ryou. I'm sensing fluff but that's just me. :) OH! And feel free to message this account for any questions regarding the story line! ORRRRRRRRRRR Put them in your reviews! Flamers would be used as added sacrifice to summon Zorc. HAIL ZORC!

**REVIEWS ARE LIKE PORN TO WRITERS SO SATISFY OUR URGES! :)**

**Drop your pants soon, lovelies! A lime would roll soon enough!**

For fans of other characters, you might want to see this little sneak preview!

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 4: And then a Marik comes along.**

In the museum, Ryou was tasked to arrange the newly found artifacts for display. He headed to the storage room, looking at a box that said "NEW ARRIVALS" at the top shelf. The white-haired boy tip toed as he grabbed the box only to realize that the said box came toppling over him after a loud thud. He winced a little, _'Kura...' _he thought, slowly looking at the person beside him. He prayed that the said white-haired thief was already beside him only to come across a golden ray of sunshine. Chocolate brown eyes met with deep violet ones. The paler boy's eyes fixated on the image of a tan man crouching near him.

"Are you alright?" came the deep voice coming from the unnamed boy.

Ryou quickly sat up as he nodded, scrambling to put the things inside the box. He then noticed that the tan man was also helping him collect the said artifacts. "I think I just ruined a part of Egypt's history by doing that..." he said, scratching his head, causing the man with sand-brown hair to simply laugh at him.

"Maybe but I don't think the mummies would mind. I'm Marik Ishtar. And you are?"


	4. And then a Marik comes along

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 100 views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw!

Chapter 4 is here for all the Marik lovers. Marik = Hikari!Marik. No worries though, Yami no Marik will be here soon. :)

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

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**Chapter 4: **And then a Marik comes along

Bakura had to jump back a bit when the door suddenly swung open; he hadn't been expecting such an abrupt reaction. All the same, he was a little bit glad to see Ryou again, though the feeling disappeared within moments. He really didn't look so good - his face was flushed, and he looked more tired than he had earlier. Had something happened, or was he really just getting that sick?

"Hey, be careful!" He said, stepping forward and catching Ryou as he stumbled. He didn't even bother to say anything about the name Ryou had called him (what made the boy think he was going to accept 'Kura' anyway? It felt too strange, too familiar!) Or the fact that he had grabbed his hand. Right now, oddly enough, he was more concerned about what Ryou was coming down with.

But then he mentioned a gift, and dropped something. Behind the boy, Bakura could make out a glinting, golden object... and it was then that he realized that Ryou had just dropped the Millennium Scales. The thief's eyes widened and he stuttered a bit, trying to find the right words to use in order to ask Ryou how he got them. But thankfully, the smaller of the two answered the question before it was even posed. Shadi had been here and given him the Scales... that must have been why he heard Ryou talking to someone. Well, at least he knew the boy wasn't hallucinating, because he had the Scales to prove he wasn't. Still... why did he have them? Did Shadi give the Item to Ryou, or did he manage to somehow take it? He doubted the latter, but one could never really know.

Bakura raised his hand to feel Ryou's forehead, and was surprised to find how hot he was. _You're burning..._ he said through the mind link. That settled it, then; he had to go lie down. "Come on, get in your room," Bakura said, leading the boy towards his bed and lying him down on his back. He made a mental note to go grab the Scales in a little while, right after he made sure Ryou could get some rest. "You have a fever. Don't move." He then abruptly left the room and went downstairs, rummaging through the cupboards until he found a glass, and filled it with cold water. The thief wasn't altogether too sure how to take care of someone that was sick - he had a surprisingly good immune system, somehow, and he didn't much care to go near the people he knew when they were sick, much less try and help them - but he knew that, at the very least, the boy needed water, and to get his temperature down. This wouldn't help much, but it would do a little bit.

He brought the water up to Ryou, placing it on the bedside table, standing back a bit to give him some breathing room. Bakura crossed his arms and waited a few beats, then asked, "Do you need anything? Just let me know..." He was, to say the least, uncertain about this. He had only just met the boy and already he was willing to help him get better, but then again, he did owe Ryou quite a bit now - even more now that the boy had given him the Millennium Scales - and the debt just kept growing. This would bring it down somewhat, hopefully, but Bakura knew that wasn't really why he was doing this. It was an excuse, however, so he would take it and use it when needed.

Ryou could not help but pant a little, the other's voice barely registering in his head by this point in time. He was too happy, knowing that the thief was just right beside him. His shoulders dropped down a little, relaxing in his grasp as he nodded slowly at the other's request of going back into the room. Ryou barely had his eyes open the moment he felt his back hit the bed once more. It was still slightly damp but compared to moments a go, it was slightly better. The Hikari groaned a little the moment he heard the thief leave his side. He opened his chocolate eyes, looking around as he tried to look for the white blob in the other colorful blobs. Moments later, he finally saw the said blob walk back to his room with something at hand. He did not want to ask as to what he had at hand. He felt better just knowing that the thief was there.

"Shadi said that I'm not supposed to give it to a tomb robber... But he did not say that I could not giving it to you," he whispered, mostly to himself as he kept his eyes closed. Deep inside, he knew that he was listening to whatever the Hikari said. He gulped a little as he continued his sentence, "You're just... Collecting it right?" he asked, oblivious to the true plans of the thief. He turned his head towards his direction as he flashed a weak smile at the thief. "I just want to help you finish your collection... So you don't have to steal anything anymore," he muttered as he tried to explain himself. If Ryou was to word it like this, then Bakura would not think he liked him, right? Bakura would not be suspicious of his true intentions, right? Ryou felt as if he was being slowly lulled to sleep the moment Bakura asked him as to what he could do for the sick Hikari.

Bakura remained quiet while Ryou spoke, keeping his expression neutral and avoiding eye contact. So, he really was clueless. He really didn't know anything about Bakura - who he was, why he wanted the Millennium Items, and what he was planning to do when he got them. It was probably better that way, but the thief couldn't help but feel saddened by that fact. Ryou was putting so much blind faith into him... when he shattered that; it would break the boy too. It was almost funny, in a sense; never before had the thief ever been worried about bringing harm to anyone, and had often done so without any thought at all... but hurting Ryou like that made him hesitate slightly; but in the end, it would do him no good, and he would go through with what he wanted anyway.

"Just don't leave me," Ryou whispered before relenting to sleep.

"Yeah... I'm just... a collector..." he murmured just as Ryou closed his eyes. He took a step towards the boy and touched his hair, brushing it out of his face before stopping himself. Immediately, Bakura brought his hand away and growled. What did he think he was doing? There was no point in trying to be tender, not when he knew he would just end up hurting - no, breaking this boy in the end. He sighed and shook his head, turning to leave the room. "I'm sorry," he whispered, not looking back once as he exited the room. On the way out, he bent down to pick up the Millennium Scales and the Rod that he had previously put down again, then left.

It was nearly an hour later that Bakura had safely put away the Items he had, and had gone out again to clear his head. He happened to encounter an acquaintance of his (it felt sour in his mouth to call him a friend), who explained to him that there was an exhibit about Ancient Egypt on in the museum.

"I remember you telling me about your interest in Egypt," Marik said conversationally as he passed by Bakura. He was on his way to the museum, and Bakura was going in the opposite direction. "There are some interesting things there, you know. You might be interested in checking it out."

"I'm not interested right now," the thief retorted. He did, however, make a note to visit later, because the tone Marik was using implied that there was, indeed, something useful and interesting hiding in the museum. He didn't even thank the blond when he turned and left, but Marik seemed unconcerned. It was just the normal behavior for Bakura.

Said thief was still contemplating in his mind what he had just done, and what he was going to do. More importantly, why he felt as if Ryou would be a problem in achieving it, instead of the asset he had previously believed the boy to be. Now he wasn't sure if he could just casually take the Ring from Ryou when he needed it and dispose of him afterwards. He had already gotten in too deep, and it was worrying him. Oddly enough, though, a small part of the thief was actually enjoying it in spite of all the problems he was facing.

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Moments later, Ryou blinked himself awake as he sat up. He looked around, trying to figure out as to where the thief was. He did hear his request right? He gritted his teeth a little before shaking his head. What was he thinking, truly trusting a thief like that? Of course, he would not really care as to what Ryou wanted, right? His big eyes were soon engulfed in sadness before getting the glass on the table beside his bed. He took a small sip, appreciating the cool sensation rushing through his throat. He should stop caring about Bakura. True, he was the first person who started talking to him after a while. True, he was the first person who started at least _caring_ for him after a while. He sighed lightly before shaking his head as if to convince himself that Bakura was only up to no good. Everything was just pretend for the other after all, right?

Ryou's head turned to the side a little the moment he heard the phone ring. He groaned lightly, thinking that the said call was the first one he had in ages. Suddenly, he widened his eyes in thought as he remembered the only person who would call him. _'Dad,'_ he thought as he rushed towards the phone downstairs. He looked at the floor, realizing that the Millennium Scales was also gone. He cursed under his breath, hating himself for being too naive to trust Bakura just like that. After talking to his father, he was apparently getting a job in the Egyptian Museum that his father built around two years ago. Part of him was happy that he did not have to return to the Kaiba Corporation for a job, after all, he was surely going to be dead the moment Kaiba realizing that he was the one that stole the Millennium Rod from the hidden safe... The Millennium Rod that he also gave to Bakura.

Ryou felt numb, irritated, and confused. Why was Bakura willing to pretend to- Ah! He needed the Millennium Items and Ryou was actually more than willing to give everything to him. He pressed his own hand against his forehead, calling himself an idiot. At the end of the day, the thief was just using the white-haired boy as a pawn to his plot. He should have asked- at the very least- what the items were for. Ryou did not know why but he just felt at ease; too much at ease every time Bakura was there. At first, Ryou felt angry only to relax a few minutes later. Bakura technically did not owe Ryou anything. Bakura did not have to do anything for Ryou. The younger boy could still feel the cold hand in his- the scene actually played in his head for more than once that day. Why did he leave? Ryou cursed under his breath, wishing that Bakura simply left the first time he announced his departure. Why exactly did he have to go back? Maybe, if he simply left, Ryou would be able to take it better.

At least he was not making him expect that way.

Bakura's voice rang in the boy's ears. He sounded almost concerned about his health when he said that he was burning up, when he brought a glass of water to his bedside, and when he felt a hand brush up against his cheek while he was asleep. _'He went back for me right? He likes, no, cares for me... right?'_ he thought, sounding almost hopeful inside his head. He should stop thinking about him altogether. SERIOUSLY. He walked towards the room he lent to the thief just the previous night. The tray of half-eaten pancakes was still there. The clothes he lent the thief were still there. It was as if the man never came in Ryou's house at all. It was as if... They never met at all. He sat on the bed and froze the moment Bakura's scent infiltrated the air that he was breathing.

Why was he so affected by this man anyway? Why was he..?

He sighed as Ryou gathered the tray as he rushed to clean the room. The boy was rushing to get dressed, putting on a plain blue shirt and some jeans. He fixed his shoes, trying to brush the mud off of the said footwear. He then proceeded to combing his hair, trying to manage the tangled fuzz on his head. He yelped a little the moment he hit a knot only to laugh at himself about it. Ryou then placed his Millennium Ring on his neck, looking at himself in the mirror. He tried to remember the person who looked like him and yet, it felt weird. It felt a little bit narcissistic whenever he thought that Bakura was quite attractive- considering that he looked almost like him. He sighed, almost exasperatedly, letting his finger graze against the five pointers. He knew he could find Bakura the moment he wills it to happen... But just thinking about it irritates him to a certain level. He did not even know why...

Ryou yawned the moment he left his house, making sure that he grabbed his keys. The doors were locked. The gates were locked. Everything was safe- at least he thought they were. Immediately, he made his way towards the museum. He looked at the sky, seeing the slowly darkening clouds in the horizon. Ryou realized that it was most likely going to rain tonight. He shrugged it off, just trudging towards the Egyptian museum. In the museum, Ryou was tasked to arrange the newly found artifacts for display. He headed to the storage room, looking at a box that said "NEW ARRIVALS" at the top shelf. The white-haired boy tip toed as he grabbed the box only to realize that said box came toppling over him after a loud thud. He winced a little, _'Kura...'_ he thought, slowly looking at the person beside him. He prayed that the said white-haired thief was already beside him only to come across a golden ray of sunshine. Chocolate brown eyes met with deep violet ones. The paler boy's eyes fixated on the image of a tan man crouching near him.

"Are you alright?" came the deep voice coming from the unnamed boy. Ryou quickly sat up as he nodded, scrambling to put the things inside the box. He then noticed that the tan man was also helping him collect the said artifacts. "I think I just ruined a part of Egypt's history by doing that..." he said, scratching his head, causing the man with sand-brown hair to simply laugh at him. "Maybe but I don't think the mummies would mind. I'm Marik Ishtar. And you are?" the boy introduced holding out a hand for the other to take. Ryou simply smiled politely, as he shook the other's hand. Of course, the brown-eyed Hikari quickly introduced himself as 'Ryou Bakura' and as Ryou started to run to fix the said items, Marik could not help but wonder as to why Ryou and his... well acquaintance looked a lot alike. The Egyptian could not help but smirk slightly finding the whole thing quite intriguing and interesting at the same time.

Ryou eventually found himself in front of a slab where holes that looked like the ones on the doors of the Shadow Realm. He approached it, looking at the hole of the Millennium Ring, furrowing his eyebrows as if trying to understand the meaning of all of this. Maybe, the Millennium Items were more than what meets the eye. Marik approached the paler boy as he looked at the slab as well. "Looks interesting, doesn't it? It's supposed to be the holster of Items that..." his voice trailed off as he looked at the Item hanging by a rope around Ryou's neck. It was one of the set and Marik needed to give it to the pharaoh. Marik cleared his throat before saying that if the Millennium Items were used by the pharaoh, it will help him regain his memories; however, if it were to fall in the wrong hands, it was going to cause destruction for it will summon the great Zorc.

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Quite some time had passed when Bakura finally decided to end up going to the Domino City Museum as Marik had suggested. Really, he had only gone there with the hopes of clearing his mind further, or at least getting his thoughts away from Ryou. By the time he got there, he was mostly satisfied, and had gone into the building not expecting a grand exhibit. It was probably full of things he had already seen at some point or another.

After having looked at the few displays that were out, Bakura had already become rather bored with it. Nothing here was of any interest to him right now - there were some old treasures that he could only assume had belonged to some Pharaoh at some point in time. Every time he looked at one of the shining treasures still so well-preserved he felt irritation and hatred fly through his very being. The Pharaohs had everything... and yet they still always wanted more: more treasures, more power... everything they didn't deserve. In a sense, Bakura was the same way, but he had a reason behind his greed, instead of just wanting more for the sake of having it. No, he needed power for a reason. He needed it to accomplish his goal...

The thief shook his head to dispel those thoughts and continued looking through the exhibit. Same things over and over - it wasn't interesting in the least. So what was so interesting that Marik had insisted he come here? He called out for the blond, expecting him to hear and to come find out what was going on. When he didn't, it made Bakura wonder. What could he possibly be doing?

To find his answer, he continued to wander in the museum, until he heard two voices coming from another room. He went to the doorway, and what he saw made him almost shout in surprise. Marik was there, talking with _Ryou_? But why? Why was the boy here? And more importantly what were they talking about?

At first, Bakura didn't even notice that they were chatting in front of the Stone Slab that held the Millennium Items. He frowned; that couldn't be good... what if Marik explained it, and Ryou suddenly became reluctant to give away the Items? Or worse, what if now he wanted them back? This could be disastrous.

But instead of announcing himself, he waited and watched, hiding himself, making sure to listen carefully in case anything were to come up. Oh, they both had a lot of explaining to do...

Ryou, on the other hand, could not help but stare at Marik in disbelief when he started talking to him about Zorc- about how it can lead to the destruction of the world. The paler boy tried his best to suppress his laughter, wanting to remain polite in front of the Egyptian boy. However, he was already biting his thumb, looking at the slab now. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white, feeling as if he had seen someone he wanted to see. _'Kura...'_ he thought, looking at the Ring. At just one request, he knew that he could simply find him and yet, Ryou still felt a little bit bitter. Questions flooded his head once more but this time, he actually dismissed all of them by just thinking: 'Kura did what he did because he is Bakura.' All of the kindness that he thought he found in Bakura was slowly melting away, thinking about what he said the night before.

_'I am the same Bakura, so stop thinking like that.'_

"You're just pulling my leg, Marik. Trinkets that will lead to the destruction of the world? It's impossible," he stated, pressing his hand against the glass that protected the tablet. He felt as if he was already staring at the tablet for a good amount of time, somewhat scaring the Egyptian lad. Ryou's eyes were fixated on the hole of the Ring, pressing his hand against his own at the same time. He had a feeling that the Millennium Items that Marik was talking about was actually the Items that Bakura was collecting. Does that mean that he was the Pharaoh? Or was he... "Oh God..." he whispered under his breath as he took a step back, staring at the Millennium Ring. The truth just dawned on him, realizing that there was an 89% chance that Bakura was a tomb robber. He shook his head at the idea before feeling a hand on his shoulder.

He could not help but jump a little as he looked at the Egyptian beside him. "Ryou? Are you alright?" he asked, looking as if he was concerned with the fragile boy. Marik only had one purpose and one purpose alone. As a tomb keeper, he swore that he will bring the said items to the keeper of the Millennium Puzzle. The blonde was actually considering simply taking the Ring from Ryou at that point in time but he knew that he had to earn his trust first. The Millennium Tauk was in his sister's possession and the Ring was simply in front of him. The Key, he was sure, will be given to the pharaoh by Shadi himself. Ryou smiled softly, feeling rather awkward having someone near him. It was seriously weird how this boy was caring about him in an instant. Maybe, this was the true sense of friendship...

Unlike the sick twisted friendship he got from Bakura.

"Yeah, I'm alright... I just realized that he... He was just using me to get the items," he said, biting his lower lip. He did not even know why he was letting himself get this attached to the said thief. At the end of the day, he was still a petty thief. He is nothing but a worthless, inconsiderate- "Who are you talking about? Someone has been getting the items and you simply... GAVE IT TO THEM?" The sudden increase in Marik's voice shocked Ryou a little before he nodded slowly, fixating on the floor once more. He could feel Marik's hand tighten on his shoulder, causing the pale boy wince but the pain itself was still bearable.

Bakura remained perfectly still where he was. He was leaning against the wall, mulling over what he was hearing in his mind, and hoping that Ryou couldn't hear him or hadn't noticed him standing there. What Marik was saying was completely true... and it worried Bakura immensely that he was sharing this information with someone who, for all intents and purposes, was basically a stranger to him. _But ah, that's right, Ryou is wearing the Millennium Ring_, he thought. That was reason enough for the Egyptian to try and warn the young owner of the Ring against letting it fall into the wrong hands - namely, Bakura's. But it wasn't as if that would stop him; he had an advantage over Marik, one that he had only just realized he had, and one he never expected to gain in the first place.

Come to think of it, how come Marik had never revealed any of this to Bakura? True, the thief was quiet when it came to his... hobbies and interests, but he had known the blond for a few years now, and none of this had ever come up. He barely even knew who Marik was, now that he thought about it. And now he was finding out too late that this acquaintance he had known for some time turned out to be his enemy, in a sense.

And it seemed like they were working against each other in more ways than one now.

When he realized that the Egyptian had raised his voice, Bakura knew that this was the time to act. Pushing away from the wall he was leaning on, he walked, as calmly as he could, towards the other two, making sure to keep his footsteps silent. Marik wouldn't notice him coming, since he was facing the wrong way, but if Ryou looked up he would easily be able to see the thief. And that was exactly how he intended to do things.

Ryou simply winced as Marik kept berating him. He did not even understand as to why he got caught up in a seemingly dangerous situation- at least for the second day in a row. Ryou placed a hand on the Egyptian's hand, his usual sweet eyes now filled with determination and slight anger. He knew he could be gullible. He knew he could be naive. But the moment he realized that Bakura was simply taking advantage of his nature truly angered the boy. It took him too long to realize that Bakura was THAT kind of person. He shook his head lightly, realizing that only those kinds of people would actually turn to stealing for their daily living. His eyes were fixated with the deep violet ones of the boy in front of him, somewhat scaring Marik. The Egyptian saw this kind of glint in Bakura's eyes before and it was not a pretty sight the moment he did see it.

"Can you please-"

Bakura placed one hand, rather heavily, on Marik's shoulder, and gripped hard enough that it would hurt. "Well, well, Marik," he cooed, his voice dangerously low, "I didn't realize you had such _interesting_ stories to tell... but I suggest you stop now, and let the boy go._ You're hurting him_." He was smiling, eyes narrowed, looking menacingly cheerful about the whole situation. It wasn't hard to tell that Bakura was pissed off. He had only ever gotten like this with Marik once before, and that hadn't been pretty at all, for either of them. Ryou's eyes widened when he saw his white hair, his deep red eyes, and that stoic look on his face. Ryou's breath hastened a little but he quickly recovered. Why here? Why now? Why must fate be this cruel? Ryou's eyes immediately looked away when he found out that he was actually staring at the thief. He was starting to get over him but the moment he looked at his eyes; the taller white-haired man seemed to have pulled him back into his grasp. Ryou then watched as he coerced the Egyptian to let go of his own shoulder. He was about to do that if Bakura hadn't jumped in the situation. He could handle himself after all! He did not need anyone and certainly, Ryou did not need these feelings anymore. He felt as if every cell of his body started to turn cold the moment Bakura talked to him through the link. Was Bakura actually _concerned_ about someone other than himself? Ryou knew that this must be part of the tricks that Shadi was talking about.

He looked up at Ryou casually, though the gleam in his eyes was threatening. _What are you doing here?_ he hissed through their link. _And more importantly, why are you with him, listening to all this nonsense?_ It wouldn't do to have him believe in any of this... because if he did, that meant trouble for the thief, and he wouldn't stand for that at all.

_'My father asked me to work here. Marik was only touring me around. Where did you go? I missed you. Please stay by my side.'_

Those were the things that Ryou wanted to say, turning around as he tried to avoid those eyes. He knew that the moment he would look into them, his entire body would tingle and he will get sucked into his grasp. It was that stupid relentless stare of his that pushed the young boy over the edge. Ryou picked up the box, giving Marik a courteous nod but he did not even bother to acknowledge Bakura's existence. The thief had left without a say and he should know better than to hurt Ryou that way. Ryou particularly disliked being left behind and no matter how hard he told himself that he was used to the feeling of someone leaving him, he eventually reached the realization that he was not yet used to it at all. Bakura was simply getting 'worried' about him because the thief was smart. He was cunning. He was intelligent enough to realize that Ryou was able to use the item that was able to locate every other item that he needed for whatever plan he had in mind.

_'What's it to you?'_ he asked as a reply to the other's questions. Ryou looked at him from the corner of his eyes, producing a sharp look. Bakura's eyes narrowed when he heard the voice in his mind and watched the boy it belonged to turn on his heel and leave the room. What was it to him? That wasn't a very nice thing to say. Without giving any hint to Marik what was going on inside both of their minds, he answered, _Maybe I was concerned about you - ever consider that, Ryou?_

He didn't bother waiting for an answer before turning his attention back to focus on Marik. He scowled, before turning his face downwards and laughing. Chocolate eyes were trying their best to hold on to what was left of his back bone. Bakura made his legs feel like jelly and Ryou did not want this kind of feeling anymore. Soon enough, he found himself in one wing of the exhibits as he started to fix the scrolls, finding fancy in one of them. The said scroll made Ryou widen his eyes, simply staring at it for a good two seconds before placing it back in the box. Was that painting really of, no it couldn't be. Ryou immediately dismissed the thought as he went back to fixing the items.

Back to the tablet, Marik was still too scared to even turn around. True, he immediately let go of the almost albino boy at the other's request but he could not help but wonder as to why Bakura was making such a big deal about it. Could it be that Bakura actually knew this boy? From what the Egyptian knew from the thief, he was out to get the Millennium Items and from what he just gathered from Ryou, the smaller one was actually collecting it for someone else. It did not take Marik long to put two and two together before turning to face his so-called 'friend'. "Who is that boy to you, Bakura? Is he one of your pawns to dispose of? It's a shock that the Millennium Ring is still with him if that's so." With that said, the Egyptian started to smirk, swatting the thief's hand from his shoulder, "The question is... Why are you leaving it with him? Wasn't that your most precious possession? Or has your definition of precious changed already? Perhaps, because of a particular boy?"

His lightly-colored bangs were obscuring his face, but at the proper angle it was easy to see that Bakura was grinning, widely and darkly. His laughter started out low, and then crescendoed quickly, to when he calmed down and looked back at Marik. "You really don't know me as well as you think, Marik," he hissed, stepping in closer, too close, and gripping the other's shoulder even more tightly than before. "Do you honestly think I would keep him around if I didn't have any use for him? You and I are no different in our methods of _disposal_, don't you remember? The only difference is that I don't keep them around as long as you do."

He was grinning again, knowing that Marik couldn't argue with that. The Egyptian really did have a tendency to be just as underhanded and manipulative as Bakura did, but he was much better at concealing it. He was just good at putting on a 'nice face', that was all. But they really weren't all that different.

He sighed. The thief was obviously just amused at this point, and could hardly remember why he had been so worked up. There was more to his explanation of why he had Ryou around than Bakura was letting on, but Marik didn't need to know that. He had something to answer for, too, and it was probably best to get the conversation as far away from this topic as he could at the moment.

"I thought you told me there was something interesting here? I haven't seen anything so far, so why don't you inform me about what it is?" Hopefully he could figure things out and get out of here soon, but of course not without first giving a small threat to his acquaintance. Honestly, Bakura found everything amusing about the way the blond treated Ryou - warning him not to give away any Millennium Items, when Bakura already had three of them, two of which he got thanks to Ryou himself. Plus the boy had the Ring, and he knew where the Key was. The only problem was the matter of the Tauk - he didn't know where that was, nor how he could get it. But then again, he had Ryou for that.

His goal seemed to get closer and closer with every passing moment.

Marik hissed a little at the sudden comparison with their methods. True, Marik loved manipulating people to his advantage but he was more two-faced compared to Bakura. He looked at him, watching him as he spoke and noting that Ryou was something that Bakura wanted. The Egyptian started to smirk, concocting up a plan in mind. If he was able to woo Ryou to a certain extent, then maybe the boy would be willing to... display his powers. From the looks of it, his opponent was already holding quite a number of items. The blonde knew that Bakura was already holding the Millennium Eye but it was no surprise that he could have easily manipulated Ryou in finding the items for him. The smirk on his face started to get more sinister, knowing the fact that Ryou could easily be led on- especially if he easily fell for Bakura's so-called concern.

Marik knew Bakura well enough to know that he only cared for himself and every time he would say that he actually cared for someone, it would be because he needs something from that certain someone. The Egyptian neared the thief a little, pressing his lips a little as he decided on the right words to say. "Let's upscale our little bout, shall we? I bet I can snatch both the Ring and the boy. From the looks of it, he is able to use it," he watched for any notable movements on his face as the tan boy simply smirked even more but at the same time, it confused Marik. Was the thief actually starting to care for someone other than himself? No, it's not possible. "I will get that boy and the items. If the boy can truly use the items and he's still alive then he simply proves himself as a useful asset. Personally, I have taken quite a liking with this boy... So let the games begin," he stated, not even bothering to tell the white-haired thief as to what that something 'special' is. He wanted to gloat about the fact that he had the Millennium Tauk near him already but realizing that Bakura might be nearer to the completion of the said collection made him nervous. He needed as much aces as he can get.

Eyes narrowed with every second that the Egyptian continued to speak. Suddenly it was a lot easier to remember why he hadn't simply done away with Marik a long time ago, when it would have been most convenient - this man was interesting and dangerous, and it was all too risky. But as always, Bakura was ready to accept this challenge, as he would with any other one.

He huffed, smirk still firmly in place. Oh, he was beyond angry now, but was doing a rather good job of hiding it and holding himself back. Needless to say, he had confidence - especially given the way Ryou was reacting to him the previous night and that very morning. Marik didn't stand a chance, but this could end up being an interesting game. Bakura had more than one advantage, after all, and he never really had had a problem with cheating to get what he wanted. It was just another aspect of the game: trying to find ways to outsmart your opponent.

"You'll be dead before you get Ryou," he said casually, but darkly enough to show that he meant it. Stupidly, the thief forgot to mention the Ring. "But you know... you're worse than I am, trying to get to him just so I can't..." He laughed again, once more gradually getting near-hysterical. It was a while before he calmed down, and he gave Marik a wide-eyed, almost deranged look, that implied he was willing to go as far as he could to make sure that he came out of this game as the victor.

"I wish you the best of luck, Marik... but in the end, that won't do you any good. What are you without the Millennium Rod? I'm tempted to say useless." He shook his head and turned to leave Marik behind, a dark chuckle escaping his throat.

"Guess I'll be seeing you around then, Marik." And with that, he gave his 'friend' a mocking wink, and left the room. Of course, now he had to find Ryou and begin this game.

This wouldn't be a problem at all.

* * *

Ryou seemed to take forever to actually fix the said artifacts and place them in the right place. He sighed lightly, staring at the Millennium Ring now. He did not understand as to why he was mad at Bakura. He is not supposed to feel this way towards someone he barely knew but every moment he tries to deny the fact that he was falling for the boy, the feelings would simply come rushing back. He furrowed his eyebrows before sighing lightly, releasing the item from his hold. He really wanted the feelings to stop. He immediately turned his head when he heard footsteps, the sound haunting along the empty halls of the museum. His gaze fell on a person- a woman it seems- wearing something that Egyptian women did back in the ancient times. He looked at her only to find him staring at the Horus Eye around the woman's neck.

After a minute the woman neared him more, causing the white-haired boy to take a small step back. "You're supposed to be the bearer of the Millennium Scales, right? But I see that it is no longer in your possession and it is in the possession of a certain tomb robber. You did not heed Shadi's warning; however," she stopped, looking at him with sad eyes, as if she wanted to touch him in some way. She looked as if she wanted to hug him and console him for something. "You are faced with great turmoil... You... are in love with the thief, are you not?"

Ryou froze, simply staring at the woman for more than a few minutes with his mouth agape. How did the person know about the Millennium Scales? Shadi? The tomb robber? The boy eventually let it pass, thinking that it might have something to do with the powers of the Millennium Item that she had. But wait, did she say that he was in love with Bakura? He shook his head, denying the big fact in front of him. But still, it made absolutely no sense. He barely knew Bakura- heck, what if he did not even get the tiniest glimpse of who he really is? The words of the thief echoed in his head, feeling his heart cringe a little. He was manipulated. He was stepped on. And yet, the feelings were simply stronger than ever. Ryou felt as if he suddenly turned into masochist over night just because of this person.

"I... I don't know what you... What you mean..." he said, stuttering a little as he turned on his heel. He looked at her eyes before looking at the floor. Eventually, he found himself running towards the halls only to find him bump in to someone. He stumbled a little but Ryou managed to stay on his feet as he looked at the tan boy he met simply moments a go. When the white-haired boy opened his eyes, he saw those deep violet eyes and some kind of warmth in them. Warmth? Coming from the person who gripped on his shoulder particularly hard? It certainly did not make any sense. The brown-eyes widened even more when he heard the deep voice coming from Marik. Apparently, the woman who was talking to him was... the Egyptian's sister. Ryou took a sharp look, looking at the girl before back at Marik.

They are... siblings?

"Ryou... I'm sorry for acting stupid back there. Friends?" Marik asked before flashing a warm and inviting smile to the paler boy. Ryou gulped a little, scared that his trust might be misused again. But like a moth drawn to a flame, the boy could not do anything else but to nod before flashing a weak smile to the Egyptian. Inwardly, the Egyptian was already smirking as the tan boy started to run his fingers through his hair. Ryou distinctively remembered Bakura's gesture from this morning, blushing at the sudden contact from someone else. _'Kura...'_ he thought, before widening his eyes. Their link was perfect so there was a 100% chance that his darker half actually heard him think his name. The white-haired boy technically backed off a little as he watched Marik smile at him again.

His smiles... They were warm unlike Bakura's. Heck, has he even seen Bakura smile before? The scene of Bakura placing his coat over his smaller form replayed in Ryou's head as he tried to take the said memories from his thoughts. He did not understand but it seemed as if he was stuck between who he wanted and what he 'had to do'. Marik's sigh immediately brought Ryou back to the real world as Marik started to explain his role as a tomb keeper. The white-haired boy flinched as he listened to the story about their duty to the pharaoh. He was about to ask Marik as to what he had to do with it all when the Egyptian took Ryou's hands in his. The Egyptians hands were warm, and his voice soft and not demanding at all, "So will you help me? Will you help the pharaoh? If so, please give me the Millennium Ring?"

Marik's insides were turning in excitement. With just a few strokes, the boy was already playing at the palm of his hands. It was not hard for the Egyptian to play like nice card and it did help that Ryou was not uninteresting at all. Marik was actually saying the truth when he said that he was very much taken by this boy, although he did not know as to why he was. He watched the other boy wiggle his hands out of his as he started caressing the Millennium Ring with his finger, as if contemplating if he should trust the Egyptian. Marik did not want to push Ryou off the edge already but he knew he had to get his trust. He eyed Ishizu from the corner of his eyes, earning a meaningful glare from his big sister. He knew that Ishizu disliked his methods but he knew himself that this was the best method to use against Ryou.

Finding Ryou, as it turned out, was not as easy as it seemed. This museum was huge! Especially in comparison to how it looked from the outside. Where could he be? Bakura didn't even know why Ryou was here, let alone what he might have been doing or looking at. So he would just have to persist, it seemed...

He paused, flinching a little bit when he heard the whimper in his mind. Something sounded off... did Ryou need him? _What is it? _he asked back. _Where are you? _

He turned around, for no real reason other than the fact that he had a feeling he was going in the exact opposite direction that he should have been going. Marik was up to something; he could just tell... and that was not a good thing. Though he doubted Ryou would just switch positions within the span of a few minutes, it was still better to ensure that nothing even tempted him to go over to Marik. So the thief's pace increased, until he finally found Ryou, standing right in front of who else but Marik?

He growled deeply, alerting the woman in front of him to his presence. He barely noticed her, but she ended up turning her head to look at him, and gasped. It would not do for him to notice her - thankfully, he seemed distracted enough that by the time he took a few steps forward, she could back away mostly unseen. Bakura did not notice the glinting Item around her neck; if he had then he would not be advancing so readily on Marik.

The fury in his eyes was evident. He came up behind Ryou again, this time wrapping an arm around the boy's waist. He didn't look at Ryou, instead keeping his focus on Marik, showing him the threatening look in his eyes rather than the boy he was trying to protect - win over - whatever he was trying to do, he didn't care right now, he just wanted that damnable blonde Egyptian _away_ from Ryou!

"Sorry, Ryou, he's not bothering you, is he?" He asked, making sure he was keeping his eyes on his current rival. _If he is, just let me know. I'd hate to have him rubbing off on you too much._ He left that last thought rather vague; if it hadn't been obvious before then that he and Marik had gone way back, then it probably was now. If it still wasn't then Bakura would have to explain, but only if Ryou asked. He didn't really want to go into the details of their relationship, but it seemed like it was unavoidable right now.

He closed his eyes and changed his expression, smirking lightly and turning to look at Ryou, hiding his anger and - dare he even admit it to himself? Jealousy. _Didn't mean to worry you or scare you off earlier_, he said softly through their link. _But that can wait. I need to have a talk with you._

Marik's fingers were slowly itching to take the Millennium Ring from the boy as he slowly stroked the item as well. It seemed as if Ryou was simply letting him touch the ring, making the Egyptian very _very_ happy. The game was simply in the bag as his fingers trailed off to the rope that held the item. He watched as the paler boy gulp a little as the rope was starting to move from his neck. The tan boy realized that he was just a little too gullible and that made the game too easy. His smile slowly turned into a smirk when he suddenly watched the chocolate eyes step back, grabbing the Millennium Ring from Marik's grasp- earning an abrupt growl from the Egyptian. He was about to hit the boy when he regained his composure, smiling once more before burying his hand in the other's soft ivory hair. "What's wrong, Ryou? I thought you wanted to-"

Ryou was about to speak when he realized why Marik stopped his sentence. He lifted his head a little, looking at the person behind him as he felt the arm wrap around his waist. He parted his lips to speak, looking up at Bakura. His heart rate was beyond comparison by now as he stood there- lips parted in confusion. _'You have got to be kidding me,'_ he thought in irritation but he made no move to leave his somewhat embrace. Chocolate eyes fell on Marik once more who simply grazed the back of his left forefinger on his cheek before saying, "Well, I'll give you two your space. I'll see you later, alright Ryou?" he asked, winking at him. Ryou's face immediately flushed as he looked away, not noticing the menacing glare that the Egyptian presented to the taller white-haired man holding the keeper of the Ring.

When Ryou finally got his composure back, he stepped away from Bakura, looking at him sternly. He did not know what to say or do at this point in time. This was the man that manipulated him in gathering the items. This was the man that made him believe that he was someone special when he was clearly not. Of course Ryou did not want to talk to him, afraid that he'd only stutter the moment he actually did. _'Why don't you just leave me alone already? You did it moments ago. Plus the fact that you constantly lie to me about everything. You're not just a collector, aren't you? You're a tomb robber. And how can you...'_ he stopped his mental sermon. He walked towards the papyrus scroll that he tucked away from everything else and moved to take the thief's attention and placed it on the said scroll.

When the boy opened the papyrus scroll, a crude drawing of Bakura was there in a fight against a pharaoh. It also included pictures of the Dark Magician and another monster(Diabound) apparently fighting with each other through a game similar to the duel monsters. _'I don't understand, Kura. What are these items? And... Why do you want them so badly?'_

It was generally very easy for Bakura to take all the words that were thrown at him through their mind-link, mostly because he was guilty of everything Ryou accused him of and felt little to no remorse over that fact. He sighed, irritating smirk still in place, and followed Ryou to where he was moving. When the scroll was opened, he grimaced; the thief had not expected to see anything in this museum depicting himself, but then again, maybe that was what Marik had told him was so interesting.

He shook his head and stepped back, placing a palm to his own forehead as if this were troubling him. To a degree, it was. He hadn't expected Ryou to find this out at all, much less this quickly. And he really wasn't looking forward to explaining himself, but it seemed he had no other option at the moment. Looking his Hikari directly in the eyes, he began: "Why don't I leave you alone?" Of course he was going to address the first question first, instead of the other way around. "Because we both know that's not what you want, Ryou."

He grinned, stepping in closer (once again, too close), and leering at the boy. "And I don't lie about _everything_... I am a collector, Ryou, but there's a bigger reason behind it than just having a whole set of pretty golden treasures to look at. No, I need them for something."

Bakura gestured to the scroll, pointing first at the drawing of what looked like him - was supposed to be him, technically, but somehow wasn't - and laughed. "Tomb Robber. Do you know how long it's been since I was called that?" Then, he added, in murmurs that implied he was now talking to himself, "I haven't stolen from a tomb in millennia, at least... and it's only ever been for one reason, anyway.

"You see, Ryou, I want revenge." Now he was pointing to the drawing of the Pharaoh, and looked like he wanted to burn the scroll before him. Or tear it up - anything to keep the reminder of the Pharaoh away from him. He couldn't even bring himself to say this out loud, so he settled for saying it in his mind. _Against him. Against the Pharaoh, his Priests... everyone. And the Millennium Items... well, that's the reason I want revenge. They have... special meaning to me, you could say, other than just their power._

"The rest you can find out on your own. But first..." Bakura snuck his arm around Ryou's waist again, pulling him close enough and holding him just tightly enough so that he couldn't escape. His voice was still low and threatening, obviously betraying his seething anger. He laughed deeply and moved to whisper in the boy's ear: "Stay away from Marik. If you think I'm going to hurt you, just wait until you feel what he can do."

Ryou felt uneasy being this near to the tomb robber after hearing the immediate confession from the person holding him so close. His face was flushed as he tried his best to ignore the fact that his heart was beating too rapidly. He tried his best to ignore the fact that he wanted to be held this close. He tried his best to want Bakura far away from him. He tried, and failed. Ryou immediately shook his head as if trying to fully understand the things that were happening. It was really hard to absorb in one go. The Ring clutched tightly to his body, as if not wanting to let go. The brown-eyed boy knew what he wanted and he knew that the thief knew what he wanted. Suddenly, an idea hit him. Bakura did say that he was willing to give him anything he had wanted, did he not? His eyes rested a little as he tried to understand what he was feeling.

It was as if there was something controlling him, mostly because it felt right feeling him this close. Ryou could feel Bakura's feelings, for once. He could feel the utter anger and irritation as the tomb robber spoke about the pharaoh. He could feel that tinge of jealousy the moment he would start talking about his violet-eyed friend. "What do you mean by Marik doing something to me? He... He seemed so nice," he said stuttering. Every cell in his body wanted to simply push the thief away- or at least, that was what Ryou kept telling himself. He knew that it was really sad and pathetic to lie to himself but the point of this whole charade was to simply save him from the misery and disappointment. He knew that Bakura will never... want him the way he does. The only reason as to why the thief held him this close was the fact that he still had a Millennium Item.

The white-haired boy was completely sure that he was going to be set aside once he has handed over the item to the thief. He peered open his eyes as he lazily looked at the thief holding him so close. He quickly wondered as to why he was not flailing his arms around in a desperate attempt to pry this man off of him. It was truly bizarre how he simply... felt that he could trust him; however, every time Ryou would start convincing himself that Bakura was actually there for him, the lies simply echoed in his head. The thief explained himself- and yet, Ryou still felt that something was missing. With all the courage he could gather, he placed his hands on the other's chest and pushed him from him. Ryou felt uncomfortable with the thief's breath on his ear and yet he hated how he wanted more from the said thief.

He was different in Ryou's eyes. With one more frail push, the white-haired boy felt as if he was nearly in tears. "Stop... Taking advantage of me, Kura!" he exclaimed, trying his best to hold back the tears that were already threatening to fall. In truth, the tears were not caused by sadness but it was more of self-pity. How could he have let himself fall for someone as bad as this thief? He wiggled out of his grasp, as he tugged on the Millennium Ring, pointing it towards his direction. "Just take it! This is what you want right? Just take it and leave me be! I don't want anything that has to do with you anymore!" he exclaimed before watching the Millennium Ring as it started to betray him once more. He parted his lips a little as he was forced to look at his trinket. It was glowing once more and for once, the arrows had already parted away from the thief. Sure, two of the five arrows were still pointing at the thief but the others were already pointing to a different direction. Ryou gulped slightly, slumping his shoulders before leaning against Bakura for support.

The Ring was apparently taking a toll on him already.

Bakura shook his head. Marik was definitely good at what he did; the thief could give him credit for that, but that really slowed down his plans. If Ryou was already ready to believe him... Bakura sighed. "You're ready to cling on to anyone that even lays eyes on you, aren't you?" he asked. There was a devious glint in his eyes - he knew this was true, somehow, despite only knowing Ryou for just a short amount of time. He didn't even bother to try and reach for Ryou again; it wasn't necessary. And besides, the boy seemed like he wanted some space.

He just watched for a moment or so, as the tears trailed down the boy's eyes. This was something he didn't know how to react to - why was he crying? Why did Bakura even care? And how was he supposed to get him to stop? He sighed and shook his head again, growling slightly. He wasn't about to stop what he was trying to do just because he was asked... but something about this was pulling at him. But he mentally slapped himself to snap out of those thoughts, and approached Ryou once more. He grabbed the boy by the hair and pulled him just hard enough so that he was looking his doppelganger in the eyes.

"Stop it. Don't be so dramatic. Marik is anything but nice - he's just better at hiding it than most people. But that's the worst kind of betrayal you can feel, isn't it?" with a small, humorless laugh, the thief let go, then turned to walk away. He needed some space, some time to think... but he was also testing something, to see if Ryou would come after him if he threatened to leave. He somewhat doubted it, but if Ryou could feel even slightly this odd pull Bakura was feeling... well, maybe things would be different.

He took a step forward, and laughed again, darkly. "Look, I've given you my warning, and since you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore..." He gave Ryou one last glance. There was something to it, though; like he knew what was going to happen. "I'm just going to leave. I don't want the Ring. Not like that, anyway. I'd prefer it if you put up a bit of a fight..."

Besides, if Ryou had the Ring, then that meant they weren't really going to part ways forever. They wouldn't be far from each other for very long... the Ring would draw Ryou to him, and it wasn't as if Bakura was ready to just give up collecting all the Millennium Items. This way took longer, but it was the most beneficial. As long as the boy didn't give it to Marik, but something was telling the thief that the Millennium Ring was safe where it was.

As he walked away, though, something began to bother him. What had the Ring been pointing at when its arrows were indicating two different directions? He was going in the direction that the arrows had been pointing, away from himself, intent on finding out what was waiting for them.

Ryou felt as if his insides were turning the moment he was grabbed by his mane. He looked at Bakura as he started to talk to him about how backhanded the Egyptian was. It made the white-haired boy regret even considering giving the item to the said Egyptian but something was still drawing him towards the thief. At the statement when Bakura said that he wanted Ryou to at least put up a fight for the said item, it made the British boy pout a little. Something was telling him that Bakura still wanted to keep him close. He sighed almost reluctantly. Ryou knew what he was feeling and he felt that it was just too troublesome denying that sad fact. He was in love with the thief. He raised his head, smiling brightly this time. Ryou absolutely did not know if what he was about to do was the right thing to do but it seemed as if he didn't mind at all.

He did not care at this point in time if Bakura was just using him. He did not care if Bakura was only in it for the Millennium Ring or a locator of the said items. The fact that Bakura actually acknowledged the fact that he wanted to keep Ryou around truly made the boy happy beyond words- even though he was just putting meaning in his words. At the very least, the thief was actually pushing him forward. As if having swallowed a giant magnet, he followed Bakura to where he was going- to the direction the arrows were pointing to. He jogged a little, making sure that he was walking side by side with him, once again, holding the item in his hands. "I'll help you look for it so you won't get lost again," he stated, remembering that the thief was popping in and out of nowhere, as if looking for something. From what he could interpret from the mind link a while ago, he was looking for Ryou but the Hikari was a little skeptical about it.

He shook his head a little as he tried to focus in finding the Millennium Item. He was so fixed on the Item that when he felt a gust of energy, it simply snapped him out of his trance. He looked up, finding Marik along with the woman clothed in white robes. He was staring at the two of them before looking at Bakura. "The Millennium Tauk," he stated, realizing that he let the necklace slip out of his hands. It was just there a while ago! _'God, I'm thinking like you,'_ he said through the mind link while his face remained stoic. Ryou knew that he has to remain tough and all that jazz. Just the thought of actually being like Bakura sent chills down his spine but heck, what could possibly go wrong right? He gripped on his Millennium Item, wondering as to what he had to do next.

Marik, on the other hand, was already busy glaring at Bakura when he realized that they already saw the Millennium Item around his sister's neck. Damn that Millennium Ring! Marik's eyes fell on the boy next to the thief king, his gaze relaxing a bit. "Have you come here to give me the Ring, Ryou?"he asked, as sweetly as he could. His blood was boiling already, pissed off by the fact that he didn't factor in the element that his sister told him simply moments ago. Apparently, the boy was already in the palm of the thief's hands- putting Marik in an unfair disadvantage from the start. It was typical Bakura to do such an underhanded move like that but deep inside, the Egyptian was simply blaming himself for not being too observant to notice that.

So, obviously this connection went a little bit deeper in both of them than Bakura had at first thought. It wasn't a problem, though; quite the opposite, really. Because now Ryou was willingly following him and helping him, instead of leaving him like he had threatened. He grinned and nodded, actually relieved. He was taking a big gamble, and it looked like it decided to pay off for once.

"Thanks," he said offhandedly, following Ryou where he was leading. He stopped when the other did, simply staring straight ahead of them. The Millennium Tauk? But that was impossible! How had it not been here before...?

But then it hit him, that Ryou had been too distracted with other things (namely Bakura and Marik) to be thinking about finding Millennium Items. But now... Wait a second! That was Marik, wasn't it? And that woman... he had passed her earlier without even looking in her direction... but now that he saw her, it was easy to tell that she was Marik's sister. That was odd; Marik had never mentioned he had a sister, and even less was known about her. The fact that she had the Millennium Tauk...

_Thinking like me isn't all that bad,_ Ryou, he told the other confidently through their mind-link. _In fact, it often helps... like now, for instance. I can't do anything myself, but that doesn't mean I don't have an idea... _He smirked, looking plainly as if he were plotting something... and it didn't look like it would be anything good at all.

_Ryou... I want you to go with Marik for a while,_ he told the boy. _Don't give him anything... but keep an eye on him, okay? I'll be with you too, of course..._ he paused, thinking for a moment. He didn't want to wait too long, otherwise Marik and his sister might get suspicious. Hopefully Ryou would pick up on his plan on his own - he had just said that he was starting to think like the thief, hadn't he? _So how's your acting, anyway?_ he asked.

Bakura stepped forward, leading Ryou along with him. "I thought you left, Marik. Ryou was just showing me something..." He shrugged casually, with that ever present smirk still on his face. He knew Marik was angry with him, and to return the glares he was getting, he just gave the blond a smug look. He really should have expected something like this to happen. Bakura never played entirely fair, after all.

Ryou looked at the pair sternly, mostly because he did not want to reveal the mind link that they have with each other. He was mostly looking at the priestess, watching her stare at the both of them. The white-haired boy squinted a little as he looked at the Eye of Horus. He could have sworn that the item glowed for a second there, wondering about the power of the said item. _'Kura, the item. It glowed. What exactly does it do? A while a go... She... technically read my mind or something. Is that one of the powers of the item?'_ he asked, looking at the blonde Egyptian now. Fine, he was now supposed to go with Marik when Bakura said that he was not nice. Ryou found that rather contradicting but part of him wanted to trust the instincts of the thief- after all, he's the one that's really good at conspiring about these kinds of stuff.

_'Got a pretty high grade in drama, why?'_ he asked through the mind link. He waited for the other to answer before looking glum at the Egyptian. He went by his side, grabbing one of the tan hands and tangling his fingers with Marik. This earned a surprised look from the said Egyptian, thinking of what possibly happened to the stuttering boy that was in front of him a while ago. He was pretty sure that Ryou was gullible but what exactly happened to make his personality do a complete 180- or at least enough to have him follow Bakura around- in just 10 minutes? Marik simply smiled back, knowing that he was working with a big disadvantage, but the idea of having Ryou to himself was really making him happy. Maybe, he was just over thinking it? After all, it was the paler boy that latched his hand on his, right? Marik clenched onto his fingers as well, tilting his head to the side, "What's wrong, Ryou?"

Ryou sniffled slightly before whispering something to Marik (which was technically inaudible to Bakura), "I need you to tell me more about Bakura... I think... I think he's doing what- what- you were saying before. Ma-Mariku... I-I'm scared... I-I-I-I want to be as... as far away from him as possible," he whispered, letting some tears trickle down his cheeks. Of course, his back was turned to Bakura- mostly because the British would simply start laughing at the sight of the thief king's expression to what he was doing. He found pretending to be gullible to be really easy- mostly because he knew that he was. He looked at Marik, noticing that the Egyptian was starting to believe every word that he was uttering. _'Kura. I think he's falling for it. I'll try to get as much information as I can about the Millennium Tauk,'_ he thought as he continued to act all dramatic in front of the Egyptian.

At this point in time, Marik's suspicions about Ryou simply acting around jumped out of the window. The boy truly looked scared, shaking like that along with the tears that never seemed to cease. Marik placed a hand around the boy's shoulder before smirking at the tomb robber. _'Looks like I win this one, Tomb Robber,'_ he thought as he started to guide the boy out of the museum. Ishizu, on the other hand, was simply staring at the thief king, her mouth agape. She knew that he had been reincarnated into this time line but she didn't know that she was going to meet him today. "You should not toy with the boy's emotions. You might break him if you do that- or are you starting to fall for him as well?" she said, before rushing out of the scene. She knew she had to get away from him as fast as possible.

Bakura watched Ryou's little act with a lot of interest. He had underestimated the boy, thinking that he was too kind, too soft, but this... it was impressive, to say the least. Of course, Bakura was also putting on an act, glaring and almost snarling at Marik, to give him the idea that he was gaining the upper hand. He wasn't quite as good as Ryou about it, but it was enough to just give him the right impression. This changed things a little bit. Maybe having Ryou around like this would help Bakura out with new plans...

He was a bit alarmed by the revelation Ryou gave to him, however. Just a little too late... but what _did_ the Millennium Tauk do? He couldn't remember if he ever found out, now that he thought about it. But if she had technically read his mind... _No, it can't read minds, that's the Eye's power,_ he thought. It wasn't a good sign, however, that she had been able to find out something about Ryou like that. Now if only he could remember what the Tauk did!

_I don't know what the Tauk does, but keep an eye on it... try and find out what you can. Getting Marik's trust is more important, first._ He watched as Marik and Ryou left. He didn't want to admit it, but Bakura felt a strange twinge of longing, like he wanted to go with them. Just to keep an eye on Ryou and make sure he didn't get too comfortable... but he couldn't, otherwise that would risk everything.

Then again... he was good at sneaking into places silently, so it wouldn't be hard to follow them without being seen. That was definitely something he was planning on doing, if Ryou wasn't keeping him updated enough. He wasn't about to ask for all the details of what might happen, but he did assume he would get them.

Bakura lazily turned his gaze to Marik's sister, thinking vaguely that he didn't even know her name. Not that it really mattered. He laughed, smirking at her smugly. "Toying with him? I don't think it's your business to tell me what or who I can and can't play with. As for breaking him... I'm sure you, of all people, would know that I don't have a problem with breaking people."

She left, but Bakura wasn't quite finished responding to her. "I appreciate the warning... but I'm not the one who needs to be warned, am I?" he called after her. The thief closed his eyes and laughed. She was an annoyance at best, but even so, everything seemed to be falling into place...

Marik let out a slight sigh, watching the other boy sit down in front of him, his hand pressed against his cheek. His form was still shaking; tears still trickling down. The blonde Egyptian was certain that he was actually kidding but after 10 minutes of watching the white-haired boy almost bawl in front of him, all the suspicious left once more. The snarl that Bakura gave off was still bothering him though- it was almost as if the snarl was perfect. It was as if he was expecting it to happen. The voice of the waiter snapped him back reality as he took a quick glance at the menu. He ordered a parfait for the white-haired Hikari and coffee for himself. Marik suddenly froze when the waiter started talking again. "May I interest you in the couple's treat for today? It consists of..." Marik immediately cut him off, growling slightly and this caused the waiter to walk off almost immediately.

Ryou was starting to get tired of crying. His eyes felt a little puffy already, trying to think of almost anything that would make him cry continuously. He actually tried to He started to think about dead animals and when those failed to work already, he had to bring in the heavy artillery and start thinking about the death of his family members. After a while, he stopped crying, sniffing a little here and there when the tan boy suddenly grabbed his attention. Marik's cheek was leaning on his tan hand while his elbow was rested on the tabletop. He was looking at Ryou, concern enveloping his gaze, somewhat troubling the boy. There was something about Marik that drew him in. Probably it was the boy's charisma but Ryou thinks that it was because Marik looked as if he was actually concerned about the people he was talking to. Ryou fidgeted in his seat a little, looking at his lap before looking back at those dagger-like stares. It was as if the deep violet eyes were staring deep into his soul, causing slight guilt on Ryou's part.

"What did you want to learn about the items? I'll try and tell you everything I know." _'And try to get that stupid Ring off of you,'_ he continued in his thoughts as he smiled at the boy. Ryou remained quiet, biting the corner of his lip. He wanted to ask the right questions, mostly because he did not want their plan to flop. "I... Erm... What are tomb robbers and tomb keepers in the first place? And, what are the Millennium Items? Do they... Do anything?" he asked, trying to sound as naive as possible. Luckily, the Egyptian was actually willing to say anything and everything to gain Ryou's trust. He started with their jobs as the tomb keeper, the people responsible for making sure that the pharaoh's belongings were safe all the time. Then, he went on and talked about the tomb robbers, and defined it based on the title gave it to them. When it came to the topic about the Millennium Items, Marik was a little hesitant in revealing the true capabilities of the items. He looked at the white-haired boy before smiling, his cheek still resting on the palm of his hands. "Alright, I'll tell you about the Items but it does sound a little out of this world. Try to keep up, alright?" he asked before defining the capabilities of each of the items.

During this time, Ryou was entailing everything to Bakura, making sure that he did not leave out anything when it came to the Millennium Items. _'The Ring can locate the items. The Rod can control people's minds. The key can gain access to the soul rooms and... Change their personalities, I think. The Scales can send people to the Shadow Realm. The Eye can read people's minds and eyes, apparently. The puzzle contains the spirit of the pharaoh himself and some other stuff. The Tauk...'_ his thoughts trailed off as he gulped a little. Ryou was already blushing at this point in time, realizing as to why Marik's sister was able to know why he had certain feelings for the said thief. _'The Tauk allows the user to see through time- see things from the past and the future. I think that's the reason why his sister knew what I was... Nothing,'_ he said through the mind link, his face two shades darker already. He thought that he was already fine with his feelings and stuff, but apparently hearing it from himself again and again still caused a bit of discomfort.

Suddenly, Ryou felt a hand on his cheeks, causing him to look up. The Egyptian was still smiling at him, causing the smaller boy to part his lips a little. He wanted to say something- anything to make the situation less embarrassing than what was already happening. The brown-eyed boy could not help but look away, moving his head to avoid being touched by Marik but the tan boy simply moved his hand back to the paler cheek. "I-Is something the matter?" he stuttered, looking at the boy in front of him. Deep violet eyes were still fixed on him before he moved his cheek towards his hand. He had to gain Marik's trust, right? This was technically acting, right? This was not at all flirting! Besides, even if it was considered as flirting, Ryou was not really in a relationship to begin with! So why did he feel like he was already betraying the other boy? _'K-Kura?'_

The brown eyes widened once more, this time out of fear. He was thinking of the other's name again and again, hoping to hear a response. Nothing. He heard nothing. He then pulled back his attention towards Marik. He did not want the other boy to notice that something was happening already. Unfortunately for Ryou, Marik was already caught up with at least part of their plan. When he touched Ryou's cheek, he felt a slight Shadow Magic on the boy. It was weak and faint but this was enough to cause a slight alarm for Marik. He knew that he had to do something to even the score with Bakura- after all; he started with a big disadvantage. It took him a few seconds to realize that there was a mind link between the two white-haired boys. Perfect. Marik still had the ability of the shadows so he started to play a rather mean trick on Bakura. Disguising his own thoughts as Ryou's voice, he started to pretend that he was Ryou, while the boy in front of him was oblivious with what was happening. _'K-Kura... I think I'm falling for Marik.'_

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Marik winced a little when he finally heard Ryou's mind in his as well. He could hear the faint sound of Bakura's thoughts- mostly because the smaller white-haired boy's thoughts were really loud and persistent. It seemed as if this boy was seriously attached to the said thief, irritating the tomb keeper. The boy was so easy to seduce but it seemed as if he was one tough cookie. Soon enough, their orders arrived and Ryou started to eat his parfait. The boy was not bad-looking, causing the tan boy to smirk in delight. If he cannot appeal to his heart, then maybe he could appeal to his mind or even something else. Marik was giving silent gazes to him, looking up and then smiling at him constantly. At one point in time, the boy had actually blushed, and with that, Marik started with his plot. He knew he had to get an item for himself to even the score and it seemed as if this boy can lead to them.

_'Ryou, I need you to retrieve the Millennium Rod for me,'_ the fake Bakura said through the mind link as Ryou shot his head up. Marik grinned even more but hid it as he was drinking his coffee. So, he finally got it right. It's true, there was a mind link between them and Marik decided to finally use it to his advantage. _'I would really appreciate it if you would,'_ Marik continued, his voice so similar to Bakura. Ryou looked at his parfait, eating a mouthful as he thought about it carefully. Bakura was not someone who would appreciate things for what they did. Ryou looked at Marik, smiling at him courteously. _'What about Marik? I should leave him here. I'll go and make up some excuse. How do I locate the-'_ _'Use the Millennium Ring to locate the item,'_ he quickly stated, stopping at that.

"A-Anou... M-Mariku... It's getting late. I-I should get home," he said, fake stuttering. It took almost all of Marik's self control to stop himself from laughing. Now that he knew about their connection, all of Ryou's actions made sense. Marik quickly nodded, noticing that Bakura was almost in position. When the Egyptian noticed that he was, he immediately took his hand and kissed the back of the pale boy's hand. Ryou could not help but blush at the sudden act. He bit his lower lip and retracted his hand before saying a quick goodbye to Marik. He immediately went to the alleyway and used the Millennium Ring to locate the Rod. It took him about half an hour to find a rundown house. He tilted his head to the side before looking at the said house. How can Bakura live in such a place? He went inside, making sure that there were no traps here and there. When he was finally inside the house, Ryou almost collapsed seeing the items inside.

Bakura was loaded.

The white-haired boy scratched his head as he then proceeded to looking for the Millennium Rod. He finally saw a safe, blinking at its unusual form. It made Ryou wonder as to how he could open it. Shouldn't Bakura have gotten it himself? Ryou shook his head, knowing that he promised himself that he would follow Bakura even if he did not know what was happening. Everything seemed to work better when he does it like that. He approached it, placing his hand on the door. Unlike the front door, this one was hard to open but the moment the Millennium Ring glowed, the door opened suddenly, revealing the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Scales there. _'So it opens with... the presence of Shadow Magic,'_ he thought, learning of the different words from his talk with Marik. _'Bakura! I have the Rod!'_ he exclaimed as he ran out of the house. _'Good. Meet me in the corner,'_ Marik stated. Ryou looked at the Millennium Ring and suddenly thought of Bakura. Strange, the mind link said that he was just there but the Ring was pointing to a different direction. Ryou cautiously went towards the direction of the fake Bakura. He gasped, seeing the blonde Egyptian standing there. In one swift motion, Ryou was immediately pressed against the wall, a blade pressed against his neck. Blood trickled down his neck as the pale boy looked at the deep violet gaze that wanted to kill him. Ryou was scared, _'B-Bakura! H-Help... H-Help me!'_ he exclaimed when he suddenly heard Marik chuckle.

"Your Bakura can't help you now,"_'Even if he wanted to.'_**_  
_**

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 5**

_'But I still kept it with me- even subconsciously,'_ he thought, holding the Ring now. Ryou stared at him, his hands were shaking. He tugged on the Millennium Ring a little only to find himself actually holding Bakura's hand. With one tug, he managed to pull Bakura towards him, leaning forward a little and eventually finding himself on top of the said thief- for the third time in two days. This time, the feeling was different. The first time this even happened, he was still paranoid about the thief. The second time this happened, he had a small crush on the said thief. But now, it was so different. It felt... right somehow even if it was against Ryou's will. It felt right being this idiotically close to the thief. His eyes relaxed a little, grasping on the Ring as he stared at the thief. "Forgive me, Yami-sama... I just can't stop myself," he said in a tone so innocent.

Ryou looked different now too, his eyes so big- so innocent, but he has been tainted by the thief. But this time, it feels as if he was alright with it. He moved his head a little, brushing his lips against the other. He made no further move than that, rolling over to the side, back facing him. His face was really red- like a tomato that was about to explode. He couldn't believe that he actually did such an act.


	5. Insatiable

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chibakun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 200 visitors and 350++ views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw!

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Previously on Love me so Tender

The white-haired boy scratched his head as he then proceeded to looking for the Millennium Rod. He finally saw a safe, blinking at its unusual form. It made Ryou wonder as to how he could open it. Shouldn't Bakura have gotten it himself? Ryou shook his head, knowing that he promised himself that he would follow Bakura even if he did not know what was happening. Everything seemed to work better when he does it like that. He approached it, placing his hand on the door. Unlike the front door, this one was hard to open but the moment the Millennium Ring glowed, the door opened suddenly, revealing the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Scales there. _'So it opens with... the presence of Shadow Magic,'_ he thought, learning of the different words from his talk with Marik. _'Bakura! I have the Rod!'_ he exclaimed as he ran out of the house. _'Good. Meet me in the corner,'_ Marik stated. Ryou looked at the Millennium Ring and suddenly thought of Bakura. Strange, the mind link said that he was just there but the Ring was pointing to a different direction. Ryou cautiously went towards the direction of the fake Bakura. He gasped, seeing the blonde Egyptian standing there. In one swift motion, Ryou was immediately pressed against the wall, a blade pressed against his neck. Blood trickled down his neck as the pale boy looked at the deep violet gaze that wanted to kill him. Ryou was scared, _'B-Bakura! H-Help... H-Help me!'_ he exclaimed when he suddenly heard Marik chuckle.

"Your Bakura can't help you now,"_'Even if he wanted to.'_

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**Chapter 5:** Insatiable

Bakura managed to find Ryou and Marik rather quickly, and when he did, he decided to just watch them for a while to gauge the situation. What he saw was not something he enjoyed at all. They seemed to be getting along, at the very least. Marik looked like he was trying too hard, though, and Ryou... well, he was just accepting it. He wanted to shout at the boy, tell him to be more on his guard, but knew he couldn't trust the mind-link right now. He just hoped that Ryou had enough sense to figure out the same thing...

When Ryou got up to leave, Bakura couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. At least this was coming to an end, finally. The relief, however, didn't last very long, as the thief soon caught sight of Marik reaching for Ryou's hand and kissing the back of it. He almost yelled, but somehow managed to keep his composure... oh, it was hard, though. He so desperately wanted to kill Marik right now, but that would never do. Not at this exact moment anyway. Ryou set off, but it seemed like he wasn't going home. Normally there wouldn't be anything unusual about that, but after a minute or so, Marik began to follow him. So, naturally, Bakura followed suit.

After a while, Bakura managed to recognize the area of the city they were in, and it worried him. This was on the way to where he was staying, and even worse, where he had hidden the Millennium Items (with the exception of the Eye, of course, which he kept with him at all times for various reasons). But why was he going there? Was it because... The thief stopped in his tracks after getting another glimpse of Ryou. He was following the Ring, which meant he was looking for the Millennium Items. Marik must have fooled him into it. "Damn it, Ryou, I told you to be careful!" He hissed to himself, doubling his speed in hopes of getting there in time to prevent what was going to happen.

Of course, it didn't work.

By the time the thief caught up to them, Marik was just going inside. Well, this was problematic. Bakura went in as well, being more careful than ever before to cover his footsteps so that he made no sound at all. It appeared to be working, but he never could be sure... Then something caught the thief's eye, and he smirked. He didn't think he'd have any use for that item, but was thankful he had managed to get it when he did. He just had to wait for the right time to make good use of it, though. And unfortunately that came a lot sooner than Bakura had expected.

He was lucky that they made a lot of noise when they were arguing; it led Bakura straight to where Marik and Ryou were. What he saw enraged him, and hearing the thoughts flow through Marik's mind and mouth, it nearly made him snap. "Your Bakura can't help you now," _'Even if he wanted to.'_

"Is that so?" He hissed, rushing forward and pulling Marik off of Ryou. He wasn't aware that he had the physical ability to do that, but then again, he was acting on impulse, and sometimes that was enough to surprise anyone. Without missing a beat, once Marik was off Ryou, he rushed forward and touched the metal of the Millennium Ring. For a moment, the Item glowed. When it stopped, everything was still and silent. Bakura was glaring at what appeared to be nothing, and Marik's body was on the ground, eyes open but unseeing.

Bakura sighed. "Don't worry, I didn't kill him," he assured Ryou. But he didn't bother to turn around and face the boy - he didn't need to see how angry the thief was. His cold voice was enough to show that on its own. "But I should have. What were you thinking, Ryou?"

Ryou felt as if he was going to die already, feeling every part of his body freeze as saw the flash of lightning. He shuddered slightly, feeling as a drop of rain hit his cheek now. He was unsure of everything, feeling the blood slowly trickle down his neck. The rim of his shirt was starting to soak up the blood, turning the blue shirt in a deeper shade of purple. The white-haired boy closed his eyes tight, knowing that at one fatal movement, he could easily be dead. His eyes opened when he felt the weight was off of him already, feeling his knees wobble a little. He saw Bakura touch the Millennium Ring before he let his body slump to the ground. His hand instinctively found his neck, pressing on the wound to stop it from bleeding. He looked up, watching the white-haired boy turn his back on him. Ryou was trying to understand everything that happened, pressing his bloody hand on his face as he tried to stop himself from crying.

Tears trickled down his cheek anyway, this time, out of fear. He tried to stop them but still, the tears still found his way out of their ducts as he cried softly. The rain was starting to get heavy now, the Ring still latched onto him. He did not know what was happening and as of the moment, he did not care about anything else. He was alive. That was all that matters, right? His breathing started to get heavier by the minute, looking up at him once more. He pressed his back against the wall again before walking towards the white-haired boy. "Y-You... told me to do it. At least, I thought you did... You said you needed it... I wanted to get it for," his voice trailed off before he wrapped his arms around the other's figure. He pressed his cheek against his back, simply pulling the other one close.

He absolutely did not know what he was doing at this point in time. Ryou mumbled incoherent words, feeling sadder than ever. The mind link was the only thing that connected them- the only thing that made Ryou feel as if there was someone there for him. But now that it was cut off between the two of them, then that only means that he was not that special to Bakura anymore. He squeezed his form a little, just trying to feel the certain connection between them. "How can our... Mind link... Be severed like that? I did this for you. I wanted to follow your orders constantly. I did not know that it wasn't you, Kura. I just wanted... I just wanted to fulfill your goals for you. I did not mean for it to end like this," he murmured in between hiccups as he started to shake. His eyes trailed off to the Egyptian boy before he released Bakura from his grasp.

"What did... Did you do to him exactly?" he asked as he walked near the Egyptian. He made no effort to touch or do anything to Marik except for stare at him. He raised his head a little, finally getting a glimpse of Bakura's face, causing Ryou to hold onto the part of his shirt near his chest- as if he was clutching onto his heart. Bakura looked pissed- no, angry and from what he could understand with what Bakura stated merely moments ago, the boy was apparently mad at him. "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he repeated his apology again and again, looking at the ground now, unsure of what he should say at this point in time. _'Please... Please, Kura. Please let me work with you still! Even for just a few more moments!'_ he thought, unable to say anything else save for the mumbles that consisted of 'I'm' and 'sorry'.

Bakura took some time to wait and attempt to calm down. It didn't help much, but Ryou's voice was leaving him with an odd feeling. Almost like he was tired, or disappointed as well as angry. Somehow, he felt... dejected. Empty. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling.

He sighed and shook his head, hoping that would clear his mind a little bit. It didn't. "Shut up for a second, Ryou," he said tiredly. Bakura walked forward a bit, then took something from a nearby shelf. He held it tightly in his fist, growling slightly. "I'll deal with you later," he murmured, but whether he was talking to the thing in his hand or to Ryou, it was tough to tell. The thief left the room briefly, to place the item somewhere else, then returned to Ryou, but opted to still not face him.

"I didn't tell you to get the Rod. It was Marik. Why do you think I hadn't contacted you before? He's experienced with Shadow Magic - he used to own the Rod, before Kaiba somehow got it. So of course he'd be able to detect it if we were using it." He sighed once more, lifting his face to gaze at the ceiling and raising his arms to show how exasperated he was. "I have the Rod! I know where it is! Why would I need you to get it for me, Ryou? You need to think!" He didn't lash out any more than that, settling down and relaxing his posture enough to allow the boy to embrace him. In spite of his anger, it somehow felt nice to be held. That wasn't something that the thief enjoyed thinking about, but it was able to help him calm down a little.

He ignored the question about the Mind link in favor of answering the next question. "I sealed his soul into a figurine," he explained, "Using the Millennium Ring. That's its real power, you know. It doesn't just locate the other Millennium Items. Actually, I wasn't sure that would work... but it seems I can still use the Ring." That had been why he moved the figurine - even though Marik's soul wasn't in his body, it was still conscious and could hear them. Bakura wanted to make sure that as much information as possible was hidden from the blonde.

"Quit apologizing," Bakura snapped suddenly. He knelt down next to Ryou and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, none too gently. "Here, I have something for you. Let me see the Ring for a moment." He held out his hand, uncharacteristically leaving Ryou with a choice on whether or not to trust him. But he had an idea, to prevent this from happening in the future, in two ways. But first he needed to get Ryou's trust back.

"I do not wish to think anymore. If I continue thinking about everything, I'd break. I was suspicious yes... But just knowing that it was you, I knew I could trust you. Because... Because it's you," he stated, looking at him straightly. Ryou's eyes softened even more, not wanting to fight with the other person. He did not want to argue with Bakura, knowing that his mind gets too disarrayed every time the other person was in the same room. He quickly bit on his lower lip before leaning his forehead on the other's shoulder when he knelt down. He knew that the other hated him now. He knew that the person that he wanted most hated every fiber of his being but simply being this close to him made him feel that everything was alright. True, he was not too sure about the events that would happen but simply taking the risk with him made everything worthwhile.

Bakura. That's all he wanted and that was all he needed. He did not care if the other would hate him with what he was about to say. He knew that Bakura was mad and angry enough from the start so maybe, this wouldn't anger him as much. He just wanted to let at least this part of his frustration out. He did not want to be bothered by this burden anymore. If just this thing would make him feel at least bit better, then he could probably look him in the eye now. Or maybe, it would do the exact opposite and break him completely. He shook his head before taking the Ring off of his neck. If he was really going to surrender the said Item to the thief now, then this might be the last time that they do meet each other. This would be the last chance that he has to tell him why he was so willing to do anything and everything to help him. "Because... It's you. Because I think I have fallen for... you."

Ryou felt as if he stopped breathing after saying that sentence. The white-haired boy blinked as he tried to muster the courage to flash him a weak smile but he only managed to flash him a straight face. He looked into the other's eyes before looking at the Millennium Ring and placed it in his hand. "I'm sorry. I'm just saying rubbish," he whispered, watching as the Ring glowed a little before he let go of the Ring. He found himself sitting back, looking up at Bakura. He did not even know why he gave the Millennium Ring so fast like that. It was as if he had nothing but complete and utter trust for the thief now. He has fulfilled his 'mission' and soon, he will be disposed of. Ryou shuddered, thinking utterly ridiculous things that Bakura probably had in mind as a method of disposal.

One thought actually had a trash can- but Ryou didn't think that Bakura would do it too literally.

Brown eyes closed sadly as he listened to everything Ryou was telling him. It was tough to put his finger on exactly what he was feeling hearing all of this, but it wasn't entirely a bad feeling. Part of it made him... happy? Just knowing Ryou would do anything for him without question... "What if I asked you to question me, when I say something strange? Or if you think something's wrong?" In truth, he was asking Ryou not to trust him completely, in order to protect himself. That wasn't, however, really what Bakura wanted. He needed Ryou to follow him unquestioningly.

He didn't respond to the admission of Ryou's feelings. In truth, he didn't want to accept them, because it just made him feel as if he, too, were falling for the other. But he couldn't. There was something more important that he had to do, more important than just one person. He had an entire village to avenge... and that couldn't be thrown away just like that. With that in mind, he took the Ring from Ryou, and closed his eyes.

A familiar feeling rose in him, and Bakura choked a little bit in pain. The Ring glowed brightly for only a second, and when it stopped, Bakura had opened his eyes. The pain was gone, and he handed the Ring back. "I'm not taking it," he said. "But I just sealed a part of myself inside. The mind link should be stronger now... And we'd be able to see each other while we're apart. Just focus, and you'll lose consciousness on the outside. But you'll have to figure out from there what happens."

Bakura shifted a little bit, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Millennium Eye. "Hold out your hand," he said. When the boy did as he said, he dropped the tiny golden Eye into his hand. "This will help you. With it, you'll be able to read the minds of others... but it's not as powerful when you don't have it in. But I don't want you replacing your eye with it, okay? I wouldn't risk putting that much pain on you." He didn't mention the fact that if the Eye didn't accept Ryou when he tried to put it in, it could kill him. Hopefully that warning was enough.

He stood up and looked down at Marik, wondering what to do with him. They could put his soul back where it belonged, or just leave him there... neither of which sounded very pleasing to the thief. He sighed and shook his head once more, waiting for a response from Ryou.

Ryou could not help but frown the moment Bakura actually took the Ring from his hold. He did not even know that it would be this hard to say goodbye. He was the one begging for Bakura to leave moments ago. He was the one pushing the other white-haired boy away. He was the one who wanted Bakura out of his life but now that it was happening, it felt as if a ton of bricks hit him. The goodbye was actually going to happen. He blinked a little when he noticed that the thief was not putting the item on. He actually tilted his head to the side as he tried to comprehend as to why he would not do that. _'Maybe he's going to put it in storage?'_ he thought as he looked at what the thief was doing. Suddenly, he heard a slight cough or choke coming from the thief. His eyes widened as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Eventually, he saw that the thief was handing the item back to him. His heart felt lighter as he took the other end. Ryou's face lit up as a big smile appeared on his lips. He wasn't thrown away. He was not let go. Bakura was still giving him a chance. He could not help but gasp the moment he heard what the other said. Sealed part of him inside the Ring? So... their mind link was going to be stronger? He blushed before nodding, smile still present on his face, "Even if you do something wrong... Even if it will hurt me beyond my wildest imagination... I'm ready to do everything for you. I hope you trust me enough," he stated before putting the Millennium Ring on. He stood up quickly, with newfound energy in him. Bakura technically cared about him. He did not push him away even if he already confessed to the thief.

At that last statement of devotion, Bakura couldn't help but smirk. "You're a strange one," he said, feeling as if he had said that at least once before. "But I don't think I'm going to be able to change your mind, am I? You're welcome to do as you please."

Never once had he imagined he would be able to have someone as fiercely loyal as Ryou following him around, doing what everything asked just because he asked. It had always been the world against him, and now Bakura wasn't sure what to make of this. He was pleased, but as with all things regarding the boy, confused. It just didn't make sense when he thought about it: why would they have such a deep connection when they had only really known each other for a day?

He was about to leave the room when he suddenly hit something- or better yet someone. A slight chuckle engulfed the room as Ryou looked up. A blonde Egyptian boy stood in front of him, with the same piercing purple eyes. It made Ryou back away slightly, his expression turning into a glare. _'Seriously, I think I'm becoming more like you,'_ he said through the link, simply staring at Marik- no. This boy was taller. His hair was wild- similar to Yuugi's hair but a little spikier. He had a more sinister look than Marik and the entire aura around this guy just screamed dangerous. Who exactly was this person? Didn't they already seal Marik's soul in a figurine? Well, technically, Bakura did but it's the same difference to Ryou. He placed the Millennium Eye in his pocket, deciding that it was the right place to put it in now. It didn't take long for the thief to snap out of his thoughts, because he heard Ryou's. He laughed. _Good, that will make things easier for you then._ But he wasn't really happy with things; something felt really ... off. Why was there another voice laughing, and why was Marik getting up from where he had been thrown aside?

"Shit," he cursed. He didn't think this would happen, and still felt as if it were impossible. Bakura turned to Ryou, giving him a cautious look to silently warn him. This man was obviously different from Marik, and judging by the way he spoke and his expression was infinitely more dangerous. But what could he possibly want?_ Ryou, stay on your guard. Don't let him touch you - if something happens, try using the Ring._ Though Bakura really doubted that that would work, since he hadn't taught Ryou how to use the Millennium Ring's real power, it was the only chance they had. If it didn't work, maybe Bakura could get to it, but he didn't know if he'd have the time.

"Marik?" Ryou asked as he stood firmly beside Bakura now. He knew that the thief had already secured the Millennium Rod in the safe but if Ryou was thinking straight, then this person had the ability to open the safe as well. Once more, the two white-haired boys heard the low chuckle coming from the said Egyptian. The laughter became louder and louder, enveloping the whole house.

"Unfortunately, Hikari, I'm not your Marik. You can say that I'm... The other Marik. Just like Bakura over there," he murmured, his tone lower than Marik's. It made Ryou gulp a little but then he shook his head as he looked back at the other Marik. Bakura wouldn't let anything happen to him, right?

"The other Marik? What do you mean? There's only one probable explanation... Marik has two souls in his body?"

"Ding Ding Ding Ding. Let's get the boy a prize. But seriously, Kura," he said, mocking the other boy's term of... endearment towards the thief king, "He's not as stupid as you think he is. This boy... Is actually something."

"I don't need to be told that," he retorted calmly to the other Marik. "So why don't you just tell me what it is you want instead? Your other half back? Because that's not a problem. But something tells me that's not what you're here for, is it?"

The other Marik could only chuckle as he walked towards the smaller boy. Each step that he took caused Ryou to back away a little. He could not help but grin, stretching his right arm forward before pulling the boy in his arms. His finger was grazing the paler boy's throat, grinning slightly. "So this is your Hikari, right? Yours is far more interesting than mine. Of course I'd prefer not having him here. I do but wonder what you had to go through to gain your own body," he whispered, pressing his face against the crook of his neck. Ryou was starting to get uncomfortable, squirming in his grasp already before kicking him hard on his left leg. Marik winced a little, hissing as he looked up at Bakura. Of course he did not let go of the said light, mostly because he liked them feisty. "Your light is like a cat, Bakura," he whispered, placing a hand on his neck- as if attempting to choke him.

Something was different with Ryou now. Unlike what happened moments ago, he was not simply standing there in the mercy of the said Egyptian. No, he was trashing about, trying his best to leave his grasp. The Egyptian did not mind though, his grasp on the boy tighter than ever. Ryou gasped lightly when he felt a familiar blade press against his back. The blade was not something that was used on him before. Ironically, it was the blade that he used before. The pale boy winced a little, looking at Bakura, "Let me go you stupid-" he suddenly stopped when he heard a voice inside his head. He wondered as to how the tan boy entered his mind suddenly when he widened his eyes. Bakura actually hid the figurine in the other room. For a moment, he thought that the item Bakura tucked away was the Millennium Rod and for a second, he actually forgot about it. But now that the blade was pressed against his back and he could hear the other's thoughts as clear as day, Ryou realized that he just left the Rod alone for him to take.

Despite the bad feelings he was getting just being around this other Marik, Bakura remained still and just watched what he was doing. The thief glared when the Egyptian took a hold of his Hikari and began to touch his neck. Somehow, it sent chills up his spine, not just at the possibility of what could happen here, but just the implications of him putting his hands on the boy.

The smaller white-haired boy tried to gasp for air, his lips parted the moment the tan boy started to clench around his neck. The other Marik needed Ryou asleep for the two dark beings to be able to talk. The air was slowly starting to leave his system, the boy looking at Bakura now. "Let him go," the thief warned, but of course, Marik ignored that and began to choke Ryou. Bakura began to yell, protesting for the Egyptian to let the boy loose. He was just stepping forward to try and pull Ryou away when he heard the voice in his mind and saw him slump forward. He managed to catch Ryou's limp body just as Marik threw him aside, before he hit the ground. He growled subconsciously; but there had to be a reason for this. Ryou wasn't dead, and something was telling him that this Marik didn't usually let people live. His bright eyes suddenly turned dim, a glow coming from behind him. _'Kura...'_ he said through the mind link before collapsing in the tan boy's arms. Marik grunted a little, throwing his body to the side before approaching Bakura. "At least I thought that he was something. From what I know about the Millennium Ring, it takes its toll on the human using it. He has been too exposed to Shadow Magic- I don't think he can take much of it for now," he stated, shrugging lightly. The Egyptian clenched on the Rod hard, staring at the thief before grinning, "So, when did you leave the Shadow Realm? Recently?" Looking up at Marik, Bakura raised a brow. He stood back up and laughed slightly, finding the question more amusing than it should have been. "Fairly recently, yes. Though I'm not sure how recently. As for the body... I'd like to know as much as you do how I managed to get it."

He lay Ryou down gently against the wall, so it looked as if he was slumping over. With a bit of regret, the thief reached for the Millennium Ring and lifted it over the boy's head, placing the cord around his own neck. It never hurt to be cautious, and he fully intended to give it back when Ryou woke up. "Might as well try to lessen the load a bit..."

The Ring felt warm against him, somehow, as if it were returning after a long absence, and was not nearly as heavy as it should have been. The thief closed his eyes and let the feeling flood him. It was relaxing, soothing... and it made him feel somehow complete. Yes, this Item definitely belonged to him. He wondered if Ryou felt this when he wore the Ring, or if it was just an ordinary necklace to him.

Marik stretched a little, getting used to his body. It had been too long since he was out and about. The damned tomb keeper has been kissing up to the pharaoh the moment he realized that it was not Shadii that killed his father. Of course, Yami no Marik was only waiting for the right time to get out of the said realm and when the opportunity opened up, he grabbed it by the neck. He stood in front of Bakura now, the evil grin still present on his face, "Shall I help you, for old time's sake?"

"In your case, though, we know exactly how it happened. I'm still expecting some thanks, by the way." The thief smirked. He wondered vaguely what the other Yami meant by 'old times' sake' - he had never worked with this Marik, just his light counterpart (though he hardly deserved being called such a thing), but something about this proposal sounded intriguing. He placed a finger on the Millennium Ring, eyeing the darker-skinned male with interest. "That depends, Marik... what are you expecting in return?"

Ryou could not help but groan in his sleep. Even if he was unconscious, he could feel as if he knew who was holding him at the time. It felt right being in the other white-haired boy's arms like this. It made him feel that he actually belonged. However, he felt a sudden longing the moment the Ring was slipped off of him. He could not quite understand as to why he could still feel something when he was technically asleep. His heart felt as if it was being ripped out of his chest the moment he stayed alone in that corner, the ring away from him. He could not put his finger on the problem but it seemed that the Ring was already part of his being already. Maybe, that was the reason as to why he could somehow understand the events happening in that dark room. Maybe, that was the reason as to why he still heard Bakura's thoughts. Maybe, that was the reason as to why they were connected. But seriously, were they only connected because of a silly trinket? Oddly enough, the feeling of being unconscious like this was... familiar.

Marik suddenly smirked the moment he noticed the glint in Bakura's eyes. That only comes out when he was scheming something already. It was clear to Marik that the white-haired thief was not aware of what happened a year ago. He failed to remember the ploy of the pharaoh against him. It amused him actually, seeing Bakura in the shade. In truth, it was that stupid pharaoh that kept him down as well. Because of that pharaoh, he was banished to the Shadow Realm where Yami no Marik did nothing else but plot against the said person. "Think about it, Bakura. We're after the same person. You want the pharaoh for your revenge- for Kul Elna. I want him gone because... Well, I prefer having my own body. Every time that pharaoh comes to, Marik comes back. I actually do appreciate that you sealed him away. Ra, you even managed to find your Hikari again. Your own light."

It was as if the corner of his lips was tugged again, smirking once more. Oh how he loved toying with Bakura's mind like this. When Bakura asked him what he wanted in return, he could not help but look at the Millennium Rod at hand and then towards the white-haired Hikari in the corner. Ryou was such an interest to him and he did not even know why. No, he did not want the boy for sexual favors but instead, he was interested as to how he could wield the Ring as if it was a plain item. "I don't know yet," he muttered, shrugging. Having the thief indebted to him was actually better than making him expect that he wanted something in particular. In truth, he was tempted to say that he wanted to get the Hikari but he knew better than that. Bakura was the only darkness that was more attached to his Hikari compared to the pharaoh himself. True, he often tortured him mentally but Bakura kept on repeating how he 'needed' his Yadonushi.

Marik placed the Rod somewhere in his person, using his belt as a makeshift holster for the said item. He needed an item to be able to fight the pharaoh and this was perfect. He thought that the Rod had gone to the stupid High Priest. He was actually surprised to find it in the home of thief king. "Tell me something, Kura," he said, approaching the smaller white-haired boy, running his hand through the cottony mane. "Do you know why this kid is able to use the Ring? Why are you so attached to this person? A while ago, you were snarling and you were about to attack me when he was getting hurt. Are you getting soft, thief king?" he asked, kneeling beside the smaller boy. Oh this was intriguing indeed. He has his own body. The pharaoh was in town. Everything must be done so that the stupid pharaoh would meet his end already. "Isn't it better to kill him off now? He's already given what he's worth after all. Keeping him around would simply be a problem for you. You should dispose of him now, Kura. You should dispose of your beloved Yadonushi."

With every sound that Ryou made, Bakura took a glance at him just to make sure he was okay. Nothing really was happening, and he wasn't sure if the noises he heard were actually being made, or if they were just in his head. It wouldn't be the first time.

_...That's not right, is it?_ He wondered. For some reason, everything about this situation was familiar. The thought of hearing Ryou inside his head, having Marik here and explaining things to him... it was like he had experienced it all before. But how was that possible? He didn't remember much before being trapped in the Shadow Realm and then getting out of it... but there must have been something more if he was being told about it. Like why he knew Ryou, for one, and maybe the real reason he had met Marik... Unless this Marik was just trying to fool him, which didn't seem too far-fetched. But at the same time, he didn't have reason to try and persuade Bakura about things like that.

He nodded solemnly, still thinking things over. It showed quite apparently on his face. "You have a point there, Marik. But it doesn't just end with the Pharaoh, does it?" The glint in his eye was back, hinting at things to come. He knew that getting rid of the Pharaoh was their common goal, but Bakura wanted more than that. He wanted to have him suffer, to watch as life around him was snuffed out into darkness. Bakura wanted to submerge the entire world in shadows, and that was his true goal. Just thinking about it made him smirk in appreciation. He didn't doubt that the man he was talking with now would enjoy that as well.

"Hmph. Don't think I'm going to let you keep that," he said, nodding towards the Rod that the dark Marik had just put away. "I'll need it later, after all." But if he was going to use the Egyptian, then he needed to let him have at least some room to move about. He used to own the Millennium Rod, in any case, and seemed to know of its uses better than the normal Marik. He would come in handy, and it wasn't as if Bakura couldn't resist the pull of the Millennium Item. He was experienced enough with Shadow Magic to be able to force the Millennium Rod's powers back, with or without the Ring around his neck.

So what was it about Marik that unnerved him so much? Was it the sinister air he gave off, or was it just the fact that he seemed to know something about Bakura that the thief himself didn't? He met the Egyptian's stare evenly, glaring back slightly, and didn't flinch when he approached or when he ran a hand through his hair. He only let off s quiet growl, as a sort of subconscious warning.

"You seem to know already, Marik. I can assure you I'm not going soft; however," he paused, looking over to Ryou, then back to the dark, hazy violet eyes of the man holding him. "I have my uses for him. He's already delivered me two Millennium Items, and thanks to him I know where another few are - one of them being your sister's, actually.

"And besides that, I feel a connection with him. I'm sure you know all about that, what with having your own Hikari to worry about." Bakura wasn't making excuses about his behavior or the fact that he was keeping Ryou around: that was the truth of the matter, plain and simple. He didn't _want_ to dispose of Ryou, and right now, it wasn't the best option anyway. Not until he knew the locations of all the Items.

"So tell me, Marik," the thief started again, mocking the words that the other Yami had just said. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss, or can we finally just get on with this little 'deal' of yours?"

"Personally speaking, I don't see the point of keeping him here," he muttered, looking at Ryou, his tan hand contrasting with his white hair. If he could only have a henchman as loyal as Ryou, then maybe things would have worked out differently. No matter where he looked at it, the boy was a simple boy and nothing else. He was a boy, frail and weak on the inside. He was pure and there was no part of him cloaked in Shadow Magic- except for his hands of course. Marik failed to understand the whole idea of the connection between the Hikari and the Yami. "I don't have a connection with him," referring to his own light. His eyes softened, trying to understand as to why Bakura changed upon meeting THIS Ryou. Back then, he did not mind hurting the lighter soul, only interested in his body. For a second, he actually thought that the thief would have disposed of him sooner now that he had his own body.

But now, their connection was stronger than ever. Marik winced slightly before standing up. "You already know the locations of the items. Shadii has the Key. Ishizu has the Necklace. The Pharaoh has the Puzzle," he stated, as if it were nothing. It did not make any sense at all. Was this boy really that special? Marik could not work with these factors. What if Ryou actually hindered their project? Knowing Bakura, he would simply throw away the said boy and yet, Marik seems to think otherwise. Attachment is something they should never have with fellow humans. Attachment will only lead to errors and further stupidity. "I think he's already served his purpose but it is your call. Even if you deny it, Thief King, You're attachment to this boy goes beyond the Millennium Ring. You've truly changed. Are you sure that you're still capable of hurting the pharaoh at that state? You should let go of the deadweight as soon as you can. You, of all people, should know that."

Marik could only shrug after that before entailing the facts about the 'partner' of the said pharaoh. "His name's Yuugi Mutou. He wields the Millennium Puzzle. If I'm not mistaken, he's... Friends with your Yadonushi," he said with an as-a-matter-of-fact-ly tone. The plan in the Egyptian's head was simple. Yami Marik would pretend to be the pharaoh's pup- Marik himself. He would try to woo the said boy and try to get the puzzle from him. Then said dark being froze, thinking over his plan. Even if he was to pretend as Marik, he was not sure if Yuugi will be able to give up the said item. He growled slightly when another thought popped in his head. Marik suddenly felt slightly stupid for pushing Ryou away when he currently realized the real potential of this boy. Was this the reason as to why he was so interested in Ryou?

"Maybe your Yadonushi would have some use after all. He can stay close to Yuugi. Still, he should be careful; the damned pharaoh is pretty smart."

"And how am I supposed to get the Items on my own? Your sister isn't going to just hand it over to me, is she? And Shadii ended up _giving_ the Scales to him. He had more benefit to me than you seem to realize."

Even though he said this, Bakura knew he couldn't deny that his attachment went past the Millennium Ring. He knew he was partially using it as an excuse, but it just felt wrong to leave Ryou now. "Hurting the Pharaoh has nothing to do with Ryou. It's an entirely separate matter - I'm still capable of it, but like I said, there are more important things to do first."

Hearing the name of the Pharaoh's little puppet hit Bakura hard. His eyes widened, and he put a hand to his forehead to stop the sudden pain in his head. That name was all too familiar: an image of the boy in question came to his mind, and then there, around his neck, the Millennium Puzzle... then Ryou, smiling and laughing with him. Yes, they were friends. Bakura swallowed, realizing that Ryou really was more useful than he had first believed.

After a moment, the thief began to laugh quietly. Soon he was overtaken with a fit of manic laugher, raising his head and hearing it echo around him. It was a familiar ecstasy he hadn't felt in quite some time - too long, really. He was starting to feel more like himself suddenly: cold, calculating, and willing to do anything to get what he wanted. When his laughter finally calmed, his eyes remained wide as he grinned psychotically at Marik. "You seem to forget, Marik, that my dear Yadonushi has been able to slip both himself and his Darkness through the Pharaoh's defenses before. He'll be able to do it again. "

He laughed quietly again, turning so that he was looking at the still form of Ryou on the floor, still slumped over. Both the Pharaoh and his puppet are too trusting._ You won't have any trouble at all._ He didn't even need to remind Marik about the acting Ryou had done to the Egyptian's Hikari earlier - knowing said Egyptian, he was watching.

Ryou began to stir a little, barely hearing the voices in the room. There were only two other people in the room but he could not help but feel as if he was remembering something at the back of his head. His voice was calm, strong, yet serene. He looked like Yuugi but something told him that it was not the said boy. It took him two seconds to realize that it was not something that was happening. Maybe, he was dreaming? Or maybe, he was actually remembering something.

He held his head a little, "Spirit... Spirit of the Ring," he whispered, his other hand reaching for the Item that was supposed to be on his chest. He winced a little as he searched the area of his chest, his eyes still closed. The Ring was gone. He took in a deep breath as he blinked once or twice. "The... The... Ring," he whispered, raising his head as he turned to look at the other white-haired boy in the room, noticing that the Millennium Item was on him. His eyes tried to widen but he felt utterly tired to even move from his position.

Suddenly Ryou began to shift and make more noise. He was quite obviously waking up, so Bakura walked over to him and knelt in front of his body. Had he just heard right? Spirit of the Ring... the name sounded familiar, too familiar, but he still wasn't sure where he had heard it from. If he cared to think about it for a second, it would make sense, but of course Bakura opted to ignore that feeling again. He shook his head, smirking as if finding the boy amusing. "Heh. I have it right here, Ryou."

He lifted the Ring back over his head, and draped it back of Ryou, where he had gotten it from. It felt strange to let the Item leave him, but he knew it would never be far. Besides, he had only needed it right then for protection - he was already a part of the Ring, just like it was of both him and Ryou. _I just had to borrow it for a while. Sorry. I gave it back, though_.

Yami Marik could not help but smirk at the situation. The main reason as to why the Millennium Rod glowed like that was because he was delving into the other's mind- trying to look for the memory that was sealed away. But eventually, he found the memory of the Spirit of the Ring- a memory that Ryou was probably happy to seal away.

He knew that Ryou would be their main pawn for this plot they have in mind but as a being of darkness, he just could not help but to feel extra evil. Now, what would Ryou feel being with someone that constantly caused his nightmares? Would he still insist that he actually loves the said thief when he was the one who tormented him day and night while he was still staying in the same body? The Egyptian could not help but smirk, staring at the play that will unfold in front of him. For Marik, this was enough of a 'payment' for helping Bakura against the pharaoh.

Ryou relaxed a little the moment the Millennium Ring was placed around his neck. He clutched onto the other's shirt, his form shaking a little. "Why? Why did you come back? I thought... I thought he..." he whispered, his eyes wide open as he looked at the thief. He shook his head a little, trying to understand the events that were flooding his mind. The images of the ritual chamber flooded back in his head. The look on the Spirit's face the moment he was banished to the shadow realm. The look he had the moment he realized that he was gone... Was it really a look of relief? He thought that he was happy to get rid of Bakura. That was actually one of the reasons as to why he was so eager to have Yami try out the separation of their souls. He thought he would jump for joy and excitement. He thought that the exhilarating feeling of freedom would take over. But no, that did not happen.

As if being drawn towards him, his body made contact with Bakura's, burying his face on his chest. He was sobbing and yet he did not know why. All he could remember was the pain that increased every second the moment he realized that Bakura had left him alone. Why was he so relieved having this evil being back? He told himself that he has fallen for the thief after two days of simply meeting him but now, Ryou knew why he actually felt that way about this particular thief. He was the thief that stole more than his name. Ryou could not stop crying- mostly because he felt relieved. True, he was happy to have the Millennium Ring back but having Bakura this close to him brought back the feeling of him being whole. The white-haired boy felt whole for once in a year, knowing that his Yami was back in his arms once more. He knew he would get scolded for this sooner or later but he just could not stop himself.

"You're back... I still can't believe- I can't believe that it's you. I thought that you were gone. I-I'm sorry Yami! I should not have let the pharaoh separate us like that! B-But... But now, you have your own body right? T-That's a good thing, right, Spirit?" he fumbled over his words, not letting the other one go. He was afraid that if he were to simply let go, the nightmares of losing him would come back. Ryou looked at him, biting his lower lip. His heart was thumping in his chest, his arms still around the other, "I'm... I'm sorry, Yami." Marik was actually wide-eyed when he saw the smaller boy break down. He actually... Loved him before? He furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head. He was truly unlucky that day. He thought that Ryou would actually push the Spirit away but no, he was there, holding the other one close like he was the most important item to him. This is very interesting indeed.

"Hm?" Bakura gave Ryou a strange look, like he was almost surprised, or worried, at what was happening. Why was this boy clutching at him suddenly and spouting all this nonsense? He felt himself get pulled into the other's shaking form, and blanked out for a minute. He was seeing something, but it was faint enough that he couldn't make out what it was... but this feeling that he was getting was spelling it out for him perfectly clearly.

Without thinking about it, the thief raised his arms to come around Ryou too. He wasn't facing the boy, so the look of shock was unseen by both him and Marik; however, his fingers curled and he clenched the fabric of Ryou's shirt tightly, showing his tension. "You did this," he hissed darkly and quietly, directing the statement at Marik, not Ryou. He could feel the Shadow magic resonating, so it was obvious to the thief why Ryou was suddenly saying these things. But he wasn't being possessed; no, something else was happening, like he was regaining memories. Bakura was feeling the effects of this rather strongly too.

"Spirit of the Ring. That's right... that's how I introduced myself to you before. Spirit... Yami... because that was all I was. Heh. H-heh..." Again, he started to laugh, but this time it was shaky and uncertain. That was right, he was only the remnants of the Thief-King's soul, sealed inside the Millennium Ring that Ryou wore. He didn't even have his own body, and instead lived in the boy's mind, torturing him, though not always completely intentionally.

"You wanted me gone. You told me constantly. 'Leave me alone...' but you never wanted that, did you, Ryou?" His grip tightened even more. Bakura's laughing was breathy and strained now, as if he found this funny despite there being nothing humorous about the situation at all. He was clenching hard enough that he was probably hurting Ryou now, but didn't quite realize it. He was in pain, too, that he didn't think he would ever feel again. It was as if something had been torn from him again, but this time it was entirely different. "You're the same as you always were... broken, empty. You need me, Yadonushi. You always did, and you always will..."

His laughter started back up, growing to its chilling volume, just enough to be unnerving. "The Pharaoh did this - your friend. Looks like I have another reason to kill him now, doesn't it?"

He lowered his voice to a hiss, so that only Ryou could hear this time. He moved himself so that he was still clutching Ryou, but now his lips were lightly brushing the shell of his Hikari's ear. "And this time, Yadonushi, he can't get rid of me. You're stuck with me again, aren't you? Your wish came true."

Yami no Marik could only chuckle as Bakura started to laugh as well. At least his plan did something even as a by-product. He smirked, looking at the thief before balling his hand, "Of course I did. You two had to regain the memories the pharaoh took. You can't enter a battlefield not knowing what's at stake. The pharaoh took you apart but now, you're back together. Think of it as a repayment for the body you gave, Kura," he teased before walking towards the inside of the house, "I'll let you two have your... moment or something. The plan will start tomorrow morning." Marik rolled his eyes a little. He would never have that kind of reunion if his Light Counterpart managed to come back. He smirked; now that the Ring was complete, they had a better chance of beating the pharaoh. So the plan was not as worthless as he thought it was.

Ryou could not help but to simply nod at every statement that he stated. The smaller boy's head was now resting on the other's shoulder while his eyes were pressed against the crook of his neck. He failed to understand as to why he did not want to let go of the said Spirit, his heart filling with unwanted joy. He thought he hated him. He thought he did not want him. He thought that he could live without him- that everything would be better if he was alone. But he was wrong; dead wrong. He moved his head away, only to have the other's lips graze the shell of his ear a little, whispering about his wish coming true. There was no use denying it right? And he has already stated that he liked him right? Would Bakura actually look at him differently now that he remembered that he was the Spirit of the Ring? Would he look at him differently now that the thief remembered who he really was?

Ryou sighed in relief, leaning his ear against his shoulder, his lips pressed against his neck a little. His breath was hitting the crook of the other's neck as he blinked a good few times. He wanted to make sure that he was not simply dreaming of this like what happened a few weeks after Yami banished his soul. Now that he thought about it, this was the reason as to why he asked Yami to seal his memories away. That way, he could go on with his life in peace. But still, Ryou could remember how he tossed and turned at night, trying to push himself to go to sleep. God knows how much he wanted to sleep through those nights but even if he did not know Bakura at the time, he kept on dreaming about him. He would wake in the middle of the night with cold sweat, tears trickling down his cheeks as he kept on repeating the words, _'Don't go... Please... Don't leave me.'_

"I thought I wanted you to leave, Yami," he whispered, not caring about the tightening hug around his form. He could not help but notice that the other's grip actually tightened around him but he was not one to complain. He preferred staying like this, as close to Bakura as possible. It was nothing if one would compare it to the 'connection' that they had when their souls shared the same body but this was pretty damned close to it. He closed his eyes, a tear trickling down his cheeks as he too started to tighten his grip around the thief king. "I never wanted you to leave, Yami. I never wanted you disappear from my life. Without you, I am nothing. Spirit, please. Never leave me again. I won't retract what I said a while ago. I know that I am ready to do anything and everything for you. Use me as you want," he said in a voice barely qualified as a whisper but he knew that Bakura was listening closely. He pressed closer to him, as if making sure that everything was real. _'It's because of this stupid emotion... This stupid weakness,'_ he thought, referring to the love he felt and was feeling for the demon holding him so close.

Yami Marik's words were completely ignored, although they were heard. The words coming from Ryou, however, were an entirely different story. Bakura was listening with rapt attention, and his anger and tight hold were slowly fading, until he had closed his eyes and was just holding on to Ryou for the sake of holding him. It felt good to actually embrace him like this after so long being apart, and after knowing him for so long but without actually being able to hold him.

He pulled away after a short silence, grinning gently enough that for once it wasn't threatening. "You're still the same weak idiot you always were. But I think I like it that way." Bakura stood up, looking down at Ryou, then held his hand out for the other to take. Despite the minor insult, he was happy, and just teasing for once. He helped Ryou up, then looked around the room. Marik had left, but the thief couldn't find himself caring. The Millennium Items, save for the Rod, had remained untouched, and that was enough for now. Besides, he wanted some time with Ryou to figure things out. "Use you as I want?" He repeated, thinking that statement over in his mind. He certainly had a few ideas of what he could use the boy for, but somehow, just doing any of those things simply wouldn't have been enough. This time, Bakura wasn't going to do everything himself. If he was going to trust Ryou this time, then the boy had to prove himself somehow.

The thief stepped closer to Ryou, putting his fingertips to the metal of the Millennium Ring and nearly stroking it. He was still thinking, but the ideas that were coming to him were pleasing. "Maybe I don't want to just use you, Ryou... after everything we've been through with the Pharaoh, and maybe I need to know that I can trust you without having you betray me for your friends again." He was regaining some of that cruelty that he had been cast aside for before, but this time was careful not to get too carried away. He didn't think he could go on without Ryou again, especially after how much it had hurt the first time - and that wasn't even getting into the horrors of the Shadow Realm.

He didn't wait for the boy to answer his suggestion. "You're creative, Yadonushi, so I'm sure you could think of something you could do... right?"

Ryou could not help but groan a little the moment the warmth suddenly left his body. He raised his head, his vision falling on the white-haired thief. He knew that Bakura would start doubting him the moment he remembered everything but he knew that he had the right to doubt Ryou. He was the one who approached the pharaoh. He was the one who begged him to take the Spirit of the Ring away from him. Bakura's words were like daggers, hitting him again and again as he took his hand. He eventually stood up, his head still down. Ryou knew he had to prove himself- to prove his loyalty. For a second, he wanted to say that the thief should believe him because Ryou was in love with him. He sighed lightly, knowing that love is not really something that would convince him that he was loyal to him already. If anything, it would only dent the so-called relationship that they had.

"Creative? I don't think I can be as creative as you, Yami-sama," he murmured, remembering the rule they had when he was still living inside him. Ryou noticed that they quickly reverted to who they were during the previous year. Ryou was shaking in fear and mercy, wishing that Bakura would show him at least a part of him that was at least bit human. Unfortunately, Bakura was back to his calculating side- to the person that was hell-bent to avenge his village even if it meant crushing others along the way. His eyes relaxed a little, touching the Millennium Ring as well. He looked up before looking back at the Millennium Ring. For a second there, Bakura actually sounded... seductive in a way. The delivery itself sent chills down his spine, causing Ryou to freeze in place. He was thinking carefully, knowing that whatever he says would make or break the bond between them. Now, what should he do for the thief king?

Ryou gulped, realizing that there was something that Bakura wanted most and that is the Millennium Items. Ryou could remember vaguely the story about his village- how the pharaoh needed 99 souls so that the items would be created. He sighed lightly, "I can... I can take the Millennium Puzzle for you. I will... I will take it for you!" he exclaimed, looking at him with sincerity. The Puzzle would be tough to take off of the pharaoh but he knew that they were more than willing to trust him. Ryou knew that they would never expect the little reunion that occurred that day and that would certainly work to their advantage. Ryou took a step forward, looking at him before smiling softly. He knew that this was the only way to retain his place by his side. Now that he knew the real feelings he had for the said thief, he did not want to let go anymore.

The white-haired thief sighed lightly, holding the rope around his neck. He wanted to make sure that he had a guarantee to Bakura- at least something to appease him. The Millennium Ring was his after all and it was his duty to give it to him. Bakura already gave him the Millennium Eye and Ryou knew that he still needed to make the thief believe that he was serious. He took the item off, placing the rope around the other's neck. "That is... That is something that would make sure that I'd go back- that I won't back down on my word. I already have the Millennium Eye, after all," he said, pressing the Ring against his chest. It was weird, feeling as he was incomplete without Bakura and the Ring but he knew he had to appear as innocent as possible in front of Yuugi. He smiled before turning around. He felt as if the corner of his lips was tugged in a small frown, "I shall... I shall go home now," he whispered, looking at the heavy rain outside the house. It was technically a school day tomorrow so meeting Yuugi would be easier. The only question in Ryou's mind is... Will Bakura let him go or stay? And even if he did let him stay, did that even mean anything? Maybe, he would ask him to stay because he has to take care of his pawn...

Is it even possible that he's worried about his Ryou? Ryou could not help but blush at the thought. Bakura would never look at him that way. Never... Never.

Bakura shuddered at the name he had been given. Yami-sama? It felt somehow strange to be called that now, but he wouldn't complain about it, even if the title was unnecessary for the time being. He had a feeling that he could trust the boy now, however, more than he could before. Ryou certainly seemed repentant enough... but it was one thing to appear repentant and another to really feel it. Bakura knew all about that first-hand.

He tilted his head to the side with interest. "Really...? Are you sure you're up for that so soon? What if they figure out that there's something wrong?" The thief crossed his arms across his chest, but he knew that it wouldn't be hard for Ryou to do this at all. If anything, it would be easy, especially if he was good enough at acting to make his friends believe nothing was different at all.

But that left one thing: The Millennium Ring itself. Now that he was receiving it without even asking, Bakura couldn't help but worry. Having Ryou keep the Ring close was a way to keep their connection stronger, and besides, he had already sealed a part of himself into the object again just a few moments ago. Having the Ring wasn't really necessary for now, but he didn't think simply returning it was a good idea. All the same, he asked, "Ryou... does Yuugi know about this?" He asked. "About you still having the Ring, I mean." If he did, then wouldn't it look odd if he showed up without the Item in question? And if he didn't, well, he wasn't observant enough to realize Ryou had it if the boy just hid it under his clothes like he was prone to doing. He re-traced the outline of the Ring with his fingertips, looking down at it as he thought. It felt so natural to have it back, hanging from his neck... but at the same time, wrong. It felt like he had lost some sort of connection to Ryou, and he needed it there. He shook his head and lifted it back over his neck. Bakura offered it back to Ryou, mumbling quietly, "I trust you enough right now to let you keep this with you. I gave you the Eye so you could protect yourself from scum like Marik. But you'll need this too, more than I will."

He must have been going insane. Here he was, offering to give a Millennium Item to someone else! _offering, with no strings attached!_ Granted, it was just temporary, but still, thinking about it made his stomach turn. He tried to change the topic quickly, to avoid that feeling, and noticed the heavy rain outside.

"You don't have to leave just yet," he said, looking away. The Ring was still held by the cord in his outstretched hand. "Wait until the rain stops, at least..."

Ryou was actually scared knowing that Bakura trusted him like this. It only signified one thing- that he should be even more on guard. He turned his back towards Bakura, his face flushed. He did not even know why he was feeling this awkward. It was as if they were finally starting to know each other in the first place but knowing Bakura, he knew that he was still keeping much from him. The smaller of the two looked up, staring at those deep brown eyes that never seem to lose its charm. His heart was thumping, his hand reaching out but stopping mid-air. What if this was one of Bakura's ploys to know if he was loyal? What if he's actually trying to trick Ryou? He knew how cunning the thief can be and that did not make anything feel better. He raised his head, looking back into those eyes.

Those eyes were the ones that kept on pulling him back. He couldn't quite understand why but it seems that Bakura himself was unaware of his own charisma. He did not know how hard Ryou's heart was thumping or the fact that Ryou wanted to hold him close. Ryou found it slightly cute, knowing that Bakura is still a little bit human. He failed to comprehend as to why the other boy had been oblivious- too oblivious. He knew that Bakura would usually be so observant and yet, it seems as if he has not noticed that the boy- the boy that hated him with everything in him- was madly in love with him at the same time. Ryou shook his head, "Yuugi does not know I still have the item. He actually... He actually told me to leave it at home most of the time- Just in case you were back," he muttered.

_'But I still kept it with me- even subconsciously,'_ he thought, holding the Ring now. Ryou stared at him, his hands were shaking. He tugged on the Millennium Ring a little only to find himself actually holding Bakura's hand. With one tug, he managed to pull Bakura towards him, leaning forward a little and eventually finding himself on top of the said thief- for the third time in two days. This time, the feeling was different. The first time this even happened, he was still paranoid about the thief. The second time this happened, he had a small crush on the said thief. But now, it was so different. It felt... right somehow even if it was against Ryou's will. It felt right being this idiotically close to the thief. His eyes relaxed a little, grasping on the Ring as he stared at the thief. "Forgive me, Yami-sama... I just can't stop myself," he said in a tone so innocent.

Ryou looked different now too, his eyes so big- so innocent, but he has been tainted by the thief. But this time, it feels as if he was alright with it. He moved his head a little, brushing his lips against the other. He made no further move than that, rolling over to the side, back facing him. His face was really red- like a tomato that was about to explode. He couldn't believe that he actually did such an act.

"I-I'm sorry, Yami-sama... I-I'm sorry! I just... I just wanted to know..." he whispered. For a second there, it felt like their souls touched... Even for just a moment.

_So you kept it close without even knowing why..._ Bakura closed his eyes, and though he was quite pleased with that revelation, he did not smile. It calmed him, yes, but he didn't show it very readily. He just waited to see what would happen, and was nearly surprised when he felt a hand in his own.

"What are you doing now?" He asked. Bakura's voice was quiet, just barely a breath. Something about the air was tense all of a sudden, and he wasn't sure that he liked this change very much. But it wasn't going to go back any time soon, so he just waited for Ryou to take the initiative and do something. It seemed as if the boy already had something in mind anyway, and who was he to deny him that?

He felt himself get pulled closer, and then all too suddenly, Ryou was on top of him. Bakura's gaze was stiff, unsure of what was happening, but not relenting his confusion. He was starting to think that maybe he should be taking matters back into his own hands, but then again, something else tugging at him was just telling him that this was okay, and that it was right. Having the boy back with him, this time so they both had a physical presence... it just felt natural. The thief growled lowly, almost showing his approval of this thought.

He couldn't help but accept when Ryou kissed him, though his gaze was still stern. But inside, his thoughts were reeling, thankfully hidden behind a veil the thief had created for himself as a means of protection. He found that he didn't want to push Ryou away, but instead that this was... okay. In fact, he almost enjoyed it. When Ryou pulled away, it actually made the thief feel almost dejected and regretful. That connection they had... it intensified for that brief moment, and now it felt wrong to not be that close to Ryou.

Bakura sat up and looked at Ryou, expression shifting to look close to anger. He growled again, then moved forward, slipping his fingers into Ryou's hair. "I don't understand," he hissed. There was a short pause before he leaned in and repeated the motion Ryou made, pressing his lips to the boy's, but lingering for a moment. When he pulled away, he let go and took a step back, swallowing hard. He was growing steadily alarmed at the way he was acting, but much to his frustration, Bakura found that there was nothing he could do about it.

Ryou was shaking, trying to calm himself down as he turned to face Bakura. He looked angry and this emotion truly scared the Hikari beyond words. Why was he so angry? Was it because of the kiss? Once again, the boy started apologizing, keeping his head down. Their relationship was fine! They were fine! And yet the moment he kissed him, it was as if all of the things that he worked so hard for suddenly went to waste. He was the one who toppled down the tower that he worked so hard on building. Ryou started sobbing, shaking even more. He moved his hand near his eyes, wiping the salty liquid that was trickling down his cheeks. No matter how hard he wiped the liquid from his cheeks, tears started building up and trickling down even more. He was scared- not of what kind of punishment the Yami would give him but of the idea of losing him because of what he did.

Suddenly, he felt his hand through his hair. He quickly moved his head in the direction of his hand, almost melting in his grasp. It confused him greatly that the thief could look this angry and yet, his touch was still... It was still caring and soft- at least to Ryou. He did not even know why. Maybe, it was because he really liked the thief or maybe, it was because of a different kind of emotion. Ryou was never able to put his finger on it perfectly after all and he was not one to complain. He's happy with whatever Bakura gave him- even if it's the blade that would end his life. He was actually willing to accept anything and everything Bakura would give him. He was happy and contented- he was of course grateful of whatever he would receive so finally feeling his touch... This kind of touch was actually new for the said boy.

Their lips found each other again, this time the thief was the one who initiated it. Once again, the feeling was there. Happiness, oh-so great happiness filled the young boy. He felt complete in his hold that he could not help but moan in disagreement when the other one pulled away. Their kiss was chaste- just like the one he had given the thief but the feelings were lingering a little more compared to what happened just a few seconds ago. Just like the thief, Ryou was also confused. He did not know why he felt this way from this kind of touch of affection. He could never quite understand as to what the thief would do to him but he was happy that the emotions occurred in the first place. His hand found the other's hair again, his eyes widening slightly. It felt so soft against his hands and in one swift motion, Ryou pulled him closer.

With that, their lips were crushed to each other- this time in a full kiss. His head started to hurt- mostly because he was blushing too much. He felt as if he wanted more from Bakura- mostly because he felt like an unfinished Jigsaw Puzzle as of now. He knew everything but has not realized it yet- Bakura was the missing puzzle piece in his life. That was probably the reason why it felt right being like this. Ryou did not care if he was going to get a shouting or even a beating after this. The unforgivable act that he was doing was something that he could not stop doing. He wanted to do this sin with Bakura and no one else. He felt his lungs contract a little, pulling away for a quick refill of air. "Y-You're like a drug to me," he muttered in between pants. The moment that his lungs got the air it needed, Ryou found himself pushing towards the thief. This time, the kiss was hungrier. He felt insatiable.

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**Seriously bumping up the rating next chapter. :)  
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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 6**

Bakura squirmed a little bit, laughing a little bit as he raised his hands to comb through Ryou's hair, egging him on. His mouth was free for the moment; Ryou was still nibbling and licking at his neck. "You... you're in-insane," he breathed. "Even worse than I th-thought." He shivered again. Really, if Ryou was so into this that he was spouting off nonsense like telling Bakura how good his skin tasted... there had to be something broken in the boy, something that he had never noticed before, not even when he had been in his host's mind.

"But I'm in no position to judge..." he muttered. Bakura laughed darkly again, lifting Ryou up so that he could kiss him again. He really couldn't say anything about Ryou's apparent insanity, because he was feeling the same thing, and he had already known he was a little bit unbalanced to begin with. Bakura nipped at his Yadonushi's lower lip as a way to warn him before he pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth again. _Can't say I don't like that, though. I think I actually like that better... _

He slowed in his movements briefly, pulling away from their heated kiss to look into his Hikari's eyes. Did he want this? It wasn't even a question; of course he did! But somehow, it was hard to admit it.

Then the thief's eyes widened. Something had hit him that he couldn't put his finger on. "Yes," he breathed. _Yes, Yadonushi. I want this._


	6. Necessity

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chibakun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 200 visitors and 350++ views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw!

Get ready to drop your pants in the next chappie 'cause it's gonna be a very citrus-y lime. :) Give some love too by leaving her a message in her account. Her name in a different site was googliianna but in this site, she's known as Chibakun with a period in between Chiba and kun. I hope that'll clear the issue about the names.

Since there seems to be an issue regarding the time frame, I'll clear things up. No, this is not set after the show. This is set along the time line of Season 4-5 but it serves as an alternate version of the story. You can call it AU, I guess but in this story line, Bakura and Ryou were split by the pharaoh through a small ritual of some sort. Ryou could not take the sadness of being away from Bakura and he regretted asking Yami for it. Thus, his memories were erased by the pharaoh. Bakura came back from the Shadow Realm though, now with his own body. I hope that clears things up! W I think I just spoiled part of the story but not really the major part. :)

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

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**Chapter 6:** Necessity

The moment he was pulled back to Ryou, Bakura knew that things would not be ending soon, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He was starting to lose himself just the smallest bit to these feelings. The thief's arms moved to wrap around his Hikari, pulling him closer as well. The warm feeling he got from simply being around the boy had multiplied tenfold, to the point where it was becoming deliciously painful.

It was the connection they had... truly; Bakura had never felt so close to Ryou as he did now, not even when they both shared the same body. Back then, he had tried to have as little to do with his host as possible, but now it was completely different, like he needed to have this bond with him. It was natural, and he didn't know why he hadn't attempted this earlier. Instead of threatening Ryou and scaring him off, he should have tried this approach... it was much more effective, not to mention more pleasurable for the thief. But the usefulness of this tactic wasn't even what was on his mind right now: all that mattered was Ryou, here with him, willingly accepting this, even starting it himself.

A small noise rose from the thief's throat, very nearly a groan, as he pressed back against his Hikari's lips. He couldn't help it; Bakura slipped his tongue across the boy's lower lip, asking for entrance. Normally he would have forced it, but he didn't want to scare him off now. No, he wanted this to go well - he was acting with a new approach, after all, and besides that, if they stopped now then he didn't know what he would do.

But before they could go much further, Bakura had to pull back for a breath. He contented himself for the time being with running his hand through Ryou's mane, but it wasn't enough for now. "Why... why is this happening... Yadonushi?" He panted. _I never needed anyone like this before. But now... and I can't stop it._ That thought was truly frightening to the thief, but for now, he could hardly focus on it, not with Ryou before him sounding so... needy. Something about the fact that he was needed was driving Bakura crazy in the best of ways.

So, ignoring all the warning signals that went off in his head, he dove back in, pressing his lips against his Yadonushi's once more. There was no going back now.

Ryou slightly flinched the moment he felt the thief's touch on him. He could not understand as to why he has needed this type of touch- particularly from him. These hands were the hands that caused the Millennium Ring to puncture his skin once or twice before. This was the voice that whispered the nightmares that made him toss and turn every night. This was the person that he wanted as far away from him as possible. The same person was the person he could not get enough from. After a slight move, he found himself sitting on the thief's lap, causing the little to no space between them to disappear completely. Eventually, he found himself relaxing in his hold, his eyes trying to absorb every feature of his face but he was once again drawn to his eyes. His fingers grazed his hair, eventually finding himself holding onto his cheek, cupping it a little.

"You look so... delectable," he whispered, his face flushed. All of his respect and manners were already thrown away, his legs mysteriously finding their way around his waist. Was it really his body wanting this or was he truly wanting this on his own? He relaxed a little, nuzzling him as he started his attack on the other's neck. His scent, his taste was truly delicious for the white-haired boy. It was not even because it tasted like creampuffs or something but it was because it was what he tasted like. His skin was salty but just one whiff of his scent, Ryou was starting to lose it. The boy suddenly nibbled on the exposed skin, feeling that his heart would jump out of its ribcage. He could not help but wonder as to why he was being so straightforward with this. Why was he clutching onto Bakura so much? Maybe it was because of the fear of losing him once more.

Suddenly, he felt Bakura's lips press against him, hearing him groan a little into the kiss. Ryou was slightly shocked. After all, he has never heard Bakura do these kinds of sounds before. Simply hearing him groan like that caused the smaller boy to whimper and moan into the kiss. With that, he felt the other's tongue graze against his lips a little, causing him to blush even more- if that was even possible. He gulped a little, parting his lips to let him in.

_'God... Kura...'_ he said through the mind link, as he felt the thief snake his tongue inside his mouth. He could not help but let out a small mew, letting his tongue graze against his. It just felt right, their connection only strengthening even more as he pushed against the thief. Bakura was holding him so close, and for a moment, Ryou was actually wondering if what was happening was the reality or just one of his so-called fantasies. With one more stroke against his tongue, it convinced the white-haired Hikari that this was real.

When they parted once more, Ryou buried his face on the crook of his neck, making small nibbles here and there. He could feel the thief's hands run through his white hair as Ryou's left hand began massaging the back of his neck. When the thief posed the question to Ryou, he could not help but freeze a little, confused as well. Why was this happening? Why were they so eager to jump at each other? By now, the brown-eyed boy was pretty sure that it was not their hormones. It was not their bodies aching for each other but instead, their souls. Their souls missed the feeling of being so close to each other that by now, they were already in too deep. They were attached to each other- even more than what they were before.

"I don't know Kura," he whispered, his tongue grazing against the other's neck. "You taste really... really good, do you know that?" he whispered, his tone sounding slightly needy. By now, the boy was already confused. Why was he acting... a little different? He was acting like an animal in heat but since Bakura did not make a move that told him that the thief did not want it, he continued what he was doing anyway.

Does that mean that the thief wanted him as well? No, it's not possible. Maybe, he was only giving what his Yadonushi wanted. Maybe, he was only riding on what Ryou started and it forced Ryou to pose a question to Bakura as well. _'D-Do... Do you want this?'_ he asked as he felt the other's lips push against him once more, his moves bolder this time. When the Yami pressed against him like this, he could not help but lean back as they landed with a soft thud, his legs finding the floorboards once more. His arms were already around the thief's neck, pulling him closer as they engage in another heated kiss. At every stroke of their tongues, Ryou felt as if fireworks were being set off somewhere. Their lips would part momentarily before hungrily resuming what they were doing as soon as they can. Heck, if they did not have to breathe, Ryou was not even going to part from his Yami. _'I-I'm sorry Yami... I love you,'_ he said softly in their mind link. He knew that for the thief, love is merely a weakness- a distraction from his goal. The smaller of the two did not want to hope- at least, that's what he told himself.

He pulled his Yami closer, their kiss only deepening even more. He did not want to hope, but he did- and he hated himself for hoping that Bakura loved him as well. As the rain hit the roof harder- almost representing the fire building up in the two white-haired boys, Ryou felt a tear trickle down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. The rush of feelings doubled over, pulling him as close as he could as he played with the other's tongue, _'I love you, Kura... I love you.'_

Every single movement, however small or however large, was driving the thief crazy. Just one touch, even if it was accidental, made Bakura's skin crawl in the most wonderful ways. He was having a hard time biting back the noises he wanted to make and vaguely noted in his mind that he kind of hated these feelings: the inability to control them, how intense they were and how suddenly they had come to be. Being away from someone shouldn't have done this to either of them, especially not him. He was getting attached, and they both knew it, even though he wanted to deny it to himself until the end of time. But the fact of the matter was that he couldn't help himself. He needed Ryou, not just because he was convenient or would be a good way to get closer to Yuugi and the other Millennium Item holders, but because they were connected. By the Ring, by their souls, and now it seemed by their bodies.

The same noises that he hated to admit he was making were still rising out of his throat, this time shorter and slightly different. He was starting to lose himself a little bit - that was not a good sign; Bakura had felt this way before, albeit in a different situation, with different emotions coming into play. It often ended in disaster, but now it just seemed too good, too _right_ to stop.

Bakura squirmed a little bit, laughing a little bit as he raised his hands to comb through Ryou's hair, egging him on. His mouth was free for the moment; Ryou was still nibbling and licking at his neck. "You... you're in-insane," he breathed. "Even worse than I th-thought." He shivered again. Really, if Ryou was so into this that he was spouting off nonsense like telling Bakura how good his skin tasted... there had to be something broken in the boy, something that he had never noticed before, not even when he had been in his host's mind.

"But I'm in no position to judge..." he muttered. Bakura laughed darkly again, lifting Ryou up so that he could kiss him again. He really couldn't say anything about Ryou's apparent insanity, because he was feeling the same thing, and he had already known he was a little bit unbalanced to begin with. Bakura nipped at his Yadonushi's lower lip as a way to warn him before he pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth again. _Can't say I don't like that, though. I think I actually like that better..._

He slowed in his movements briefly, pulling away from their heated kiss to look into his Hikari's eyes. Did he want this? It wasn't even a question; of course he did! But somehow, it was hard to admit it.

Then the thief's eyes widened. Something had hit him that he couldn't put his finger on. "Yes," he breathed. _Yes, Yadonushi. I want this._ They were on the ground now, pushing their lips against each other's, bodies moving in time, thoughts racing. Bakura heard Ryou admit that he loved him through their link, but he didn't respond. He wasn't in love, or at least that's what he told himself. And he would keep telling himself that until he couldn't get away with denying it any more. So for the time being, he settled with continuing to kiss Ryou, trying to avoid talking. He groaned again. Bakura couldn't hold it back any more. He threaded his hand through Ryou's hair and tugged, trying once more to pull him closer and have him keep going. He didn't want this to end.

Something stopped him, though. Bakura heard a noise that he knew neither of them made, and pulled away, holding still and trying to figure out what it was. He licked his lips, then closed his eyes and let the back of his head hit the floor. "Marik..." he whispered. He had completely forgotten the Egyptian was here, and knowing him, he would definitely interrupt them and make things take a turn for the worse. Bakura waited for Ryou to make another move, though; he didn't want to stop, regardless of whether or not Marik was there. But it was really up to his Yadonushi.

Ryou could not help but to freeze a little the moment Bakura actually responded to his question. His eyes widened a little the moment he heard that sweet 'yes', only to be affirmed by the other's thoughts. He could hear the loud thumping of his heart as he stared at the thief king, his eyes filled with confusion, happiness, and even more confusion. So Bakura actually wanted him? He wanted him... that way? The Hikari felt his lips pressed against the other's once more, his heart fleeting for just a moment. There was seriously something wrong with the kiss that they were sharing- after all, it only got better every time. Usually, people would kiss and everything would be the same, right? Well, Ryou did not have anything to compare this session with but he was certain that this was something different- unique in a way.

Every moment their lips would meet, electricity would actually flow through his veins. It was truly hard to understand, yes, but somehow, Ryou was certain that nothing would be able to stop them now. He felt relaxed and safe in the thief king's hold and at the same time, he was feeling frisky. Their hands were all over each other but the white-haired boy could distinctly feel the other's hand through his hair- clutching to it like there was no tomorrow. The scene that was playing before them was really heated- call it a moment of passion if you may but it was certain that Ryou really wanted Bakura right now. Everything was perfect. Their movements were perfect. Each time Bakura groaned, the Hikari would let out a small 'mew' of agreement just to let him know that he was feeling as good as the tomb robber. He could not help but let out a disappointed sigh when he heard a noise from upstairs. Was someone there?

Once again, Ryou started to nibble on the thief king's neck, this time, his actions were bolder. He was actually sucking and leaving little red marks on the pale thief's neck before proceeding to the other parts of his exposed skin. Ryou's hands were already at the base of his shirt, lifting it up before resting his hands on the thief king's hips. The boy's eyes widened the moment Bakura muttered a name, causing the smaller boy to sit up. His legs were still straddling him and his hands were still on the other's hip as Ryou looked down. It took around two seconds for him to realize what they were doing as he blinked once or twice to try his best to think things rationally. He looked at the thief, that stoic expression still on his face but he could not help but notice a tinge of pink on the thief's face. Was he truly blushing? Was he feeling the same way as the other is?

The boy gasped a little the moment he realized that Bakura's shirt was already pulled up, exposing his abdomen a little. Ryou's expression was once again a deep blush starting from his cheeks and then slowly spreading to the rest of his face. It was truly hard to understand but at the same time, it was not all that hard. The boy knew that they both wanted each other but something was pulling him back. He was acting on the connection that they had- not some pure carnal desire. But as he shifted his weight a little, he could not help but groan slightly the moment he felt something _hard_ against him. His thoughts were racing- fast enough for Ryou to not notice the other ones running across his mind. He bit his lower lip once more, pushing the thief down before raising the rest of his shirt above his chest. The moment the skin was already exposed, the boy started to make butterfly kisses all over his chest and abdomen.

He wanted Bakura here and now and there was nothing that the other can say or do to make it otherwise. His tongue actually left his mouth a good few times as he started to lick and nip at every corner imaginable. He could not quite understand as to how or why he could find this salty taste really appealing. From Ryou's point of view, only sweet stuff were regarded as something delicious and tasty but this time, he could not help but feel addicted to the scent the thief king was giving off to the point that it was already overwhelming.

_'Kura... Kura-sama,'_ he started in the mind link as he slowly trailed up, now kissing along his jaw and that oh-so sweet spot on the other's neck. _'I-I don't... I don't care, Kura-sama. I-I-I want... You promised you'd give me anything I want right... I-I want you.'_ With that, Ryou claimed the tomb robber's lips in his but the so-called conversation did not stop after that, _'Kura? W-What do you feel about me?'_

Bakura loved how this was feeling - Ryou kissing him, the boy's hands roaming his body, his own hands doing the same and tangling in his hair... the heat. Everything was just heat, and it was overwhelming. But slowly, Bakura was coming back to himself, thanks to becoming more aware of the noise from the floor above them. Of course he was enjoying this, almost too much, but he was letting Ryou have too much freedom and control. Besides, he didn't want to be the only one feeling this sort of pleasure.

While they continued kissing heatedly, the thief shifted a bit and pulled Ryou closer, just enough so that he could flip their positions without being too obvious about it. He nipped at the boy's lip again as he pulled away from their kiss. Bakura smirked and laughed darkly. His eyes were narrowed, pupils roaming the body that was now beneath him. He licked his lips. "Well... what should I do with you now, Ryou?" He breathed.

Unfortunately for Ryou, when his Yami had flipped them, the shirt that had been pushed up fell back down a little bit to conceal his chest; however, his stomach was still slightly exposed. He leaned down and lightly touched his lips to the shell of his Yadonushi's ear, whispering darkly, "Yes, I did say that... and since you asked so nicely, I think I can arrange something."

With another short chuckle, Bakura kissed just under the boy's ear, to his jaw, and to his neck, imitating the actions he had just felt himself. When Bakura found a good spot, he bit down and began to suck on the boy's neck, hoping to leave a mark so that anybody who saw Ryou would know that he was off limits. But just the fact that he wore the Ring and had scars from it was enough to tell anybody that...

_Come to think of it..._ Bakura's hand moved from Ryou's hair to trail down his chest, stopping at the hem of his shirt. He fiddled with the cloth for a minute and got tired of that, then slid his hand underneath and felt along the boy's torso. He was wondering if he still had the scars from the times that the Millennium Ring had dug into his skin to ensure he couldn't take it off. Now that wasn't even necessary - Ryou wouldn't get rid of it willingly, especially not now.

After a few seconds where Bakura's fingertips continued roaming, he stopped, and gasped, pulling away from his Hikari's neck. He stared, wide-eyed down at Ryou's face. He had found the scars, but still hadn't been expecting them, somehow, to be so... fresh. It seemed as if they had been punctured no more than a week ago... but why? It had been much longer than that that they had been separated.

It didn't matter. Within seconds, the thief was back to Ryou, hungrily kissing him, not even bothering with the courtesy of warning him anymore before plunging his tongue into the other's mouth.

_You drive me insane,_ he thought, leaving the conversation at that. He was still trying to avoid answering anything that might indicate how he really felt; hopefully, this was enough. Ryou seemed a little bit too far gone as well to bother with pursing the topic for now.

Ryou winced a little the moment their positions were switched, mostly because it was unexpected. This was the first time that Bakura was on top of him. A soft moan escaped his lips the moment he felt the thief's sudden weight on him. He noticed the contour of his body fit his perfectly, like a fixed jigsaw puzzle. He loved being this close to Bakura- he loved how close they were getting. He loved fooling around with Bakura but nothing can compare more to the tomb robber himself. He let out a sigh of relief before kissing him deeply, playing with his tongue the moment his tongue slipped in his own mouth. He gasped lightly, his eyes closing again. Why was it that every time he closed his eyes, the pleasure multiplied tenfold? The moment Bakura pulled away, Ryou technically moaned out of pain. For one, it was painful to lose Bakura off of him.

Ryou gulped a little, parting his lips to speak. His lips were plump and redder in comparison to the way it was before a few moments ago. He could not put his finger on it but he really liked Bakura owning him like this. Ryou felt warm- hot to a certain extent. It felt as if he was out under the sun for too long. He sighed exasperatedly as if telling the thief that he was not willing to wait. If Ryou was in Bakura's place, seeing a teen sprawled out in the open like this- almost begging for that blissful release, he would not think otherwise and take him right there and then. Ryou was still a boy after all- and his mind was not as innocent as everyone says it is. Soon, the thief was already on him once again, letting out a sound of contentment. A soft moan escaped his lips the moment the other's tongue massaged his own. There was no doubt that he was willing to do everything to have him even though at the back of his mind, he knew that he can never have the thief.

Never.

_'I want you, even if I can't have you. I want to steal you for myself, thief king,'_ he said through the mind link. His mind was in complete disarray but his body knew what it wanted. His arms latched itself around the other's neck, pulling the other closer. He could not explain what he felt right now, save for one word that keeps on popping in his head. Hot. He felt really _really_ hot. The thought that he heard from the thief king only made matters worse. Ryou pressed his lips against him more, arching his back a little so that their bodies would press against each other even more. He parted from the kiss, letting his body rest on the floorboards. He heard a distinct foot tapping coming from the room upstairs. Ryou groaned a little, looking at the ceiling now. Marik was dead for stopping their moment- not that Ryou was willing to stop as easy as that. The white-haired boy looked at the thief, his eyes tired already.

"Damnit! I want you! But Marik keeps tapping his damned foot!" he exclaimed, his body thinking more than his head. The moment those words escaped from his plump lips, the boy's eyes widened, pressing his right palm over his lips and the other on top of his right hand. How could he say that out loud? He was not usually this... impatient. So why was he so irritated that they could not exactly fool around when there was a certain Egyptian in the vicinity? He tilted his head to the side, his senses returning back to normal as he looked at the rain. It was not as heavy as it was moments ago and the thunder was not following as fast. "I-I'm sorry for what happened, Bakura-sama," he whispered, but not making any move to leave from their position. He would lie if he said that he did not want to continue but was it really okay for them to continue what they were doing if it meant that Marik could walk in on them anytime?

"No, scratch that. I'm not sorry. I really... I really do want you, Kura. I need you. I need you and I don't even know why," he whispered, taking his time to stroke his hair in a caring manner. Ryou wanted him- physically and emotionally. Right now, he was emphasizing the physical need and want for the other boy. Yes, Ryou needed the thief king. He stroked his hair, tears starting to form near his eyes once more. He was so overwhelmed with everything that was happening to the point that his heart was bursting because of the happiness and love that he was feeling for the thief king. Bakura was making him so happy and even if this was only a reward for cooperating with his wishes, then he was willing to follow him no matter what happens. Ryou pulled him down, their lips brushing against each other as his big brown eyes looked at his narrow ones, "I want and need you... to the point that it's already bad. I'd do anything for you, Kura. Anything. I-I-I-I love you," he whispered before pressing their lips fully this time in a sweet kiss. His heart fluttered for a moment before he slipped his tongue in his mouth, hoping to make the thief king feel good.

Bakura snickered darkly, smugly; he could feel the direction that this little session was going, and was determined to make sure it didn't go any other way. He didn't have the chance to speak with his mouth, seeing as it was occupied with more important things. So he settled for replying through the mind link: _You can't steal what already owns you, Yadonushi. Especially not from the King of Thieves._

Right after Ryou parted from him, the thief was about to dive right back in after regaining his breath, but stopped when he heard the boy speak without the mind-link. Without warning, he burst out laughing, but it was a little different from his normal insane laughter. It was still a little alarming, but without the darkness or the severity to it this time - in fact, Bakura actually sounded amused. "Just ignore him," he said casually, waving his hand for emphasis.

"If it bothers you that much, focus on something else instead. We can always deal with him later."

He was about to tell Ryou not to apologize, because he wanted this too, but thankfully the boy took it back before Bakura had the chance to say anything. He laughed again. "Good." He took this chance to kiss his host again, but only for a split second, and this time on the forehead. There was something oddly tender about the gesture, not to mention how uncharacteristic of the Thief King it was.

It wasn't as if he hadn't heard Ryou admit he loved him before, but this somehow felt different. He shook his head and just allowed the boy to kiss him, responding only with his body instead of with his mind. The hand that was still underneath the cloth of Ryou's shirt pushed said clothing upwards, then proceeded to rub at Ryou's stomach softly. He moved away to kiss back down Ryou's jaw, feeling a little bit of wetness when he moved. Bakura pulled away again for a moment, eyes narrowed almost dangerously.

"Stop that," he said. "Stop crying. You do it so much, and I hate it." His free hand tangled back into Ryou's hair and tugged, trying to put more emphasis on his words. "I hate seeing you upset; you shouldn't... you don't deserve it."

Bakura didn't move; he wanted to make sure Ryou knew he was serious and wouldn't continue until the tears had stopped. Yes, he was being cruel, but that was just in Bakura's nature - and it wasn't as if he wasn't also suffering a little bit: he wanted this to continue just as much as his Hikari did. What he said was true, though: he hated seeing Ryou upset, and had made it a point while they had shared a body to make sure that anyone that made Ryou cry felt the consequences. It had been one reason why some of the bullies had backed off. And yet the Spirit of the Ring had been and still was unsure if the boy even realized what he had been doing - he had never explained, after all.

_But then again... You look so nice... so pretty... when you're hurt. Your eyes shine... but I hate seeing others cause that. I should be the only one that can see it... _The thief laughed darkly again, stroking Ryou's hair now, so that his bangs were no longer obscuring his face. He wanted to see the boy's eyes, shining with the tears that still hadn't been shed. _Beautiful..._

Ryou was not new to this sadistic nature. In fact, he was actually shocked that the thief king was not as cruel as before. He was shocked with how tender Bakura was being- almost skeptical at first but at this point in time, the thief was beginning to trust him. Ryou was, of course, happy about it. Why wouldn't he be? "I was just overwhelmed with what... we're doing," he whispered, his hand found the other's white hair once more. He loved the feeling of the other's hair against his hand and he was quite sure that the other had some sort of a hair-fetish somewhat. Whatever it was, Ryou was happy that the thief king was giving him attention. His eyes were fixed on his narrow ones, his lips contorting to a small smile. "You're... worried about me," he stated, not questioning himself this time. With that, he cupped the other's cheeks, "I'm relieved that you care about me. Thank you, Kura-sama."

Deciding that things were getting too romantic, even for Ryou, he decided to continue what they were doing. Once again, he relaxed in the thief king's hold, his hands on the hem of the other's shirt as he lifted it up. He froze slightly when he realized that the other was actually wearing a coat. "Why do you have to wear too much clothes?" he groaned, his voice sounding so desperate. His eyes were still shining, glazed with lust and need. The white-haired boy whined before tugging his coat off and tossing it beside them. His shirt was the next to go, not even giving the thief a second thought. His eyes fell on his chest, looking down then up again. His face flushed once more, pulling him down in a heated kiss. The sight was not new to Ryou, having studied _anatomy_- both in school and at home. He did not have experience with other people, but as a teenager, he had some experience with himself- to say the least.

He shook his head, trying to focus on his face instead of that well-toned body on top of him. His mind was actually listening to him for once, but that did not mean that his body would also do the same. His hips were grinding against the other's, moaning softly at those slight touches against him. _'Go-od! Kura-sama!'_ he exclaimed in his head, soon finding himself on the brink of losing his sanity. His hands then roamed his back, pulling him down as Ryou's lips made contact with the other's neck. He parted his lips when he found the spot he made Bakura groan the most. His teeth sank into his soft skin, sucking hard enough to create a slight bruise- a small red spot if you may- on the pale boy's neck. Sweat trickled down his neck a little as he continued to nibble all over his neck, groaning once in a while at the taste.

_'Your taste... I just can't stop myself. You're already too intoxicating- so good!'_ he exclaimed, completely losing all his inhibitions. Soon, the boy was wriggling below the tomb robber and when he felt Bakura relax enough, his hands trailed down to his button. He gulped a little, parting from his neck as he looked at the thief king. He felt flustered, "I promise that you- you will be the only one who would see me like this. The only one who would see me shaking in pure pleasure and intense pain. No one will see me in pain save for you," he said in-between kisses on Bakura's lips. He was not lying but he made sure that he left out some particular information. He made sure that he forgot to state the fact that, _'I actually like it when you put me in pain. It feels weird, I know but when you inflict it- K-Kura-sama!'_ his thoughts were stopped the moment Ryou forced his own tongue inside the other's mouth. He arched his back once in a while, shuddering at the friction, "S-So Good!"

Bakura looked to the side at the words coming from his host, scoffing slightly. It made him feel just the slightest bit awkward, which obviously was not something he enjoyed. "Hmph," he grunted. "Sh-shut up. Quit being so... sentimental." Thankfully, just as the last word left his mouth, Ryou started to move things along again. Now this was something that Bakura could very easily enjoy - and respond to just as well.

He laughed. "I thought it might rain, Yadonushi! I wanted to make sure I had a coat!" The thief was just teasing, of course; he also thought that his coat was a bit annoying at the moment and was glad to be rid of it once Ryou finally got it off of him. He couldn't help but groan again, hating the noise and the inability to do anything about it, when he felt something - Ryou, he realized - continue grinding against him. But for some reason Bakura wasn't ready to just let go completely; he wanted to drag this on a bit longer, keep Ryou on edge. So he moved away slightly, and to make up for it, moved his leg so that it came between Ryou's, rubbing a little bit.

"You dirty little thing," he hissed, but finding genuine amusement in the way the boy was behaving. "I never expected you to be so... nngh... e-eager about this." The thief laughed. A blush was spreading across his face, and he was thankful that Ryou was looking somewhere else, at least until he felt teeth sink into his neck. "Ah - Ahhh!" He gasped. Bakura bit back a moan and subconsciously tilted his head to the side, allowing his Hikari better access.

He couldn't gather his wits enough to be able to reply coherently to the comment about his taste, unfortunately, so he just continued to rub his Hikari through his jeans and to kiss him hungrily. In the slight pause that followed, however, he tried to regain his breath. "G-good," he said, just barely able to form his sentence. "M-make sure of that, then... because I won't allow anyone to see you like this. I won't let anyone else cause you any pain. If that happens, I... I'll..." he couldn't finish the sentence, instead opting to pull Ryou's shirt over his head quickly and effortlessly. The moment the boy's skin was exposed, Bakura dove at him again, kissing his neck, chest, stomach, everything he could, licking and sucking and biting and marking his Ryou whenever he felt like it, just to prove to both of them that the boy was his, and nobody else's. _I'll kill them. If anyone else gets to see you like this, or hurts you in any way, I'll kill them. Slowly... and in the worst ways possible._

It had been bad enough when he had seen Marik get closer to Ryou, filling him with rage. He hadn't expected Marik's darker half to do anything, but it had still unnerved him when he had touched the boy so callously. As for the normal Marik, well... his soul was currently imprisoned in a figurine, and at Bakura's mercy. At any time, he could just kill the man... but he was much too busy now. He didn't care if Ryou was alarmed or didn't like the fact that his Yami was willing to kill for him - it didn't change anything. Bakura was possessive, and that was that.

Ryou was immediately set off the edge the moment he felt the other shift his position. A leg was placed in between his thighs as it pressed against his budding erection. The boy shook his head in sheer pleasure, moving to press against the thief's leg. _'I feel like a dog,'_ he muttered, as he proceeded to pressing his thighs against each other even more as he arched his back. This time, his thigh brushed against the other's crotch area, carefully watching the other for any reactions. Ryou hoped that it would be generally positive but he was not one to tell. He sighed in pleasure, letting his fingers work their magic as he popped the button off of its holster. He gulped lightly before placing a hand on the other's right shoulder before pushing him down and rolling on top. It would be easier for Ryou to gain access to the other boy's package the moment he was on top.

He crawled down, placing his hand near the zipper. He ran his fingers against the hem of his pants before pulling down the zipper. The pants were then chucked to the side as blood pounded in Ryou's ears. He needed release and from the thief's reaction, he was also pretty worked up. Ryou looked up at the thief as a slight warning before pulling down Bakura's boxers some, exposing his length. The boy could not help but marvel at the other's length, noting that Bakura was a little excess of the average size. There was no turning back now. He let his hands graze against the exposed skin, gasping at how hard the thief was. It was almost erect, making Ryou blush a bit. This was seriously awkward- like taking a bath when he realized that the Spirit was living in his body for the first few days. But this was different. They were actually feeling something for each other- no matter how much the thief would deny that.

The boy moved his head down a bit, letting his tongue encircle the base of his length. He placed his hands on the other's thighs before parting them a little as he caught the head into his mouth gently. He knew how sensitive the skin could get the moment the erection was starting so he started out slow. Once in a while, he took a deep breath, working on the length some more. His hands were shaking, almost in fear that the thief would not enjoy what they were doing. That was Ryou's greatest fear after all- knowing that Bakura would be disappointed in him. He took a sharp breath before enjoying the taste of his member. It did not take Ryou too long for him to lick on the length like a lollipop. He would be lying if he said that he has not, at the very least, imagined that this would happen between the both of them.

But this time, it was really happening. Ryou's heart leapt in joy the moment he felt some liquid released from said length. He listened to the soft groans coming from the thief king, only causing the boy to blush even more. There was seriously something wrong with him but Ryou decided to think of it some other time. As of now, the thief was at _his_ mercy. As of now, the thief was squirming in pleasure because of _him_. He blushed before looking up, his brown doe-like eyes looking up at him. They were not glazed by some liquid anymore. No, this time, they were filled with lust. _'God Yami-sama! You taste so good! I don't think I can get enough of this,'_ he whispered, making tiny circles at the other's base. He was trying his best to fit the other's entire shaft in his mouth but could only get enough. Lust was slowly overcoming Ryou and all this love and lust was all for said thief king.

Bakura's small laugh was cut short with a gasp when he felt Ryou brush him between his legs. He hadn't been expecting the contact to start up again so soon - he was giving Ryou a taste, not the other way around, but it looked like that wouldn't last much longer. The boy wanted to move things along faster, and although Bakura wasn't about to complain, he had been enjoying holding back just to sort of tease the other.

But such was life, and when he felt their positions get switched around again, Bakura couldn't help but feel some sort of approval. Ryou had gotten more aggressive since the last time they had met, but then again, maybe it was just due to the current circumstances. Either way, he liked this. A lot.

He didn't protest at all when he was stripped of his pants, deciding to let Ryou have control for a little while. He would get it back in the end anyway - and besides, he was sort of looking forward to what the boy was going to do anyway. Ryou was creative that was for sure; the Spirit had been aware of that from the moment he had first met the boy and entered his body. Thinking like that now, however, was a bit awkward, considering what they were doing now - there was the thought of being inside Ryou again, but this time in a totally different way. Surprisingly, thinking like that made the thief blush - it wasn't normal for him to think so crudely, but then again, this was quite the unique situation.

Bakura gasped loudly when he finally felt something at his length. Oh, Gods, it felt so good, even if it was just a small lick...! Bakura wasn't exactly new to this kind of pleasure, but it was the first time this body had gone through it, and aside from that, it was the first time that he had any sort of sexual pleasure in... Well, millennia. He had barely had time to partake in this sort of activity during his first life - he had been busy, after all - so it was almost as if this were new to him. Almost.

Bakura tangled his hand in the boy's hair, pulling roughly, caught somewhere between egging him on and stopping him. He couldn't make up his mind - he didn't want this to end just yet, but he was getting close, and just wanted to get over the edge...! It was a tough decision to make, so he waited a little bit longer to make it, until he heard Ryou in his mind.

_I don't think I can get enough of this._

The thief cried out in pleasure, then pulled even harder at Ryou, to get him off of him. He sat up a bit, panting hard, a little bit delirious with pleasure, but still not willing to give in just yet. He was nothing if not stubborn, even going so far as to inconvenience himself. He smirked in spite of all this, then quickly and greedily kissed Ryou, copying his movements from before and flicking open the front of his jeans. He pulled away and leered at the boy, making sure that one had was still holding his hair tightly so as not to let him have too much freedom to resume what he had been doing. "I think it's your turn now, don't you?" He breathed.

With one movement, he had moved both of them so that Ryou was pinned against the wall, still on the ground, though. They were on even levels now, at least for the time being. Bakura was leering at his Hikari, licking his lips with anticipation. He slowly, almost teasingly, slid his hand to the front of Ryou's pants, then inside to press his palm against his arousal. He laughed darkly and leaned in, lips just barely touching Ryou's. He shifted his hand and started rubbing, using his fingers to trail up and down the boy's length, adding small bits of pressure here and there. "I know all your sweet spots, Ryou," he whispered. "Don't think I've forgotten... even before you knew I existed, I was always there, watching you... in your room, in your dreams... I know how to make you scream. Should I be nice and do that for you, Yadonushi...? Or shall I just make you wait?"

Ryou was starting to squirm in his hands, his length quickly hardening at the sudden touch. It had been days since he last did the deed but now that the Spirit of the Ring was willingly giving him pleasure, he was already out of the building. "K-Ku-Kura-sama!" he exclaimed, pressing his back against the wall as he at least tried to buck his hips forward. He needed the other's touch against him so badly, to the extent that he was willing to throw himself all over said thief. His eyes relaxed a little before moaning again and again. His arm rested on Bakura's shoulder in the desperate attempt to keep himself up. His plump lips would part over and over again as a soft moan rolled off his tongue. He gulped a little, clutching onto his shoulder now. "B-Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, shuddering at the pleasure running through his spine.

Marik could not help but raise an eyebrow as he turned to his side. At first, the noises that he heard from downstairs were merely soft thuds but when he started to hear Ryou's moans along with a certain thief king's groans, he started to question what was happening downstairs. He sat up, his right foot making contact with the floorboards in increasing tempo after every tap. Eventually, a certain smirk appeared on the tan boy's lips once more when he heard the smaller boy's scream in absolute pleasure._ 'Well well, what do we have here? It seems that the Yami finally gave in,'_ he thought with a slight chuckle. Eventually, Ryou's screams and moans of pleasure became more frequent and even louder than usual. He sighed lightly, a plan concocting in his head. Of course, the two dark entities were in a temporary truce after all but who knows what would happen in the future? It was certainly not the Egyptian boy. His tan finger grazed along the blade of the Millennium Rod. Oh how he loved hearing that pained moan coming from the pale boy's lips.

Ryou's gestures were once again becoming bolder at each passing minute. It did not take him too long to find his own sweet spot, pressing said spot against the taller boy's hand. "F-Fu... Y-Ya-Ya... Good!" he said in between pants before pulling Bakura towards his lips once more. His tongue darted out of his own mouth, entering the thief king's mouth as he started to ravage said territory. All his efforts to remain sane had already escaped him and just like an animal in heat, he was so desperate for his own release. His other hand tried his best to reach the other boy's length only to lean his hand in the other boy's right hip. He parted from the deep kiss only to reel his head back, screaming in pure pleasure. He knew that he was already close but he has not felt this kind of build up before. He knew the rush of orgasm but he did not know that it could feel this... Good.

"B-Ba... Sama!" he exclaimed again and again before managing to push him around a few centimeters away from him. His knees wobbled once more, putting pressure on his arm to remain up. He knew that Bakura was aware of the soft spots. He was pretty sure that Bakura knew softer and slight touches were the ones that truly pushed Ryou off the edge. The light continued panting, looking up at the Yami. "P-Please... Give me that sweet release. I want you to release as well," he whispered, pressing his lips against his jaw and his neck as well. He kissed the other's jaw again, whispering words of love and devotion before reaching his ear. Ryou felt most sensitive when it comes to his ears but he could not help but wonder if Bakura felt the same way. He let his warm breath hit the other's ear before whispering, "I want... I want to give you your release." He pressed his lips against said ear, smiling before claiming the part in his mouth before sucking on the sensitive skin.

"C-can't even finish a sentence, can you, Yadonushi?" Bakura asked, though to be fair his own voice was broken up with deep breaths. He was half-laughing and half-moaning, though, just watching Ryou and feeling him writhe against him. Their movements were still perfectly matched, and by now their voices were starting to mingle as well. Bakura was actually starting to feel lightheaded with the emotion and just the feeling of their connection being this strong - it was almost as if it was there, physical and visible, and constantly growing. It was wonderfully indescribable.

He edged a little closer to Ryou, softening his hold ever so slightly and bringing the backs of his fingernails down the bottom of the boy's length, so light that the touch was almost not there, just teasing him. With every stroke he added a bit more pressure, then suddenly reversed it so that he was touching him even more lightly. "I remember everything..." he whispered against Ryou's lips. Then before he knew it they were kissing roughly again, as if there had been no tender moments between them at all. Now it was all pure desire and need.

With one hand, Bakura grabbed one of Ryou's wrists and guided it towards his own arousal, silently urging Ryou to do as he wanted and assist his Yami towards his release. Now he was the one that couldn't form a sentence - he was panting too hard, and when he felt that mouth against his ear, he let out a strange moan, almost a mewl. He hadn't known that that was a particular spot that Ryou enjoyed, because it wasn't as if he normally did that when the thief was watching, but _damn_ it felt good. And strange, to say the least - he had never imagined that it would feel so good.

When Ryou stopped, Bakura laughed. Insane, he thought, but whether he was talking about the strangeness of the current events or either of their actual mental states was hard to tell. He moaned loudly, then moved to bite at Ryou's neck, intending to leave at least another mark, this time where it wouldn't be easy to conceal. He didn't care if anybody saw what Ryou had been up to; he almost wanted to show off that it was him that did this, even though they both knew that that wasn't a good idea at all. If anyone found out he was alive...

_I want you, Yadonushi, _he told the other. _I can't wait anymore._

The bite on Ryou's neck was the one that sent him off the edge. He rested his temple on the other's shoulder, moaning loudly before it was reduced into soft whimpers. Ryou could not understand as to why a simple gesture like that would cause the sticky mess trickling down his thighs. Most of the time, he had to stroke his length rather harshly before getting that long-awaited release. But what happened this time was different. Bakura's slight strokes and soft gestures were the ones pushed him over. It was weird. Maybe it was because it was him doing it instead of self-inflicted pleasure. Ryou kissed the slight bruise on the pale boy's neck before releasing himself from standing up. After a second, he was already on his knees, face-to-face with Bakura's member. It seemed to have poked his cheek a little bit, causing the boy to close an eye.

He was actually very tired from releasing that much but he knew he had to give Bakura some attention still. He gave his length a few kitten licks before placing the head in his mouth once more. Ryou took in a deep breath before taking almost all of him in his mouth. The smaller boy was still confused, why was Bakura so delicious? Every suck, Ryou could only hope that he could taste more of said thief. He looked up the tomb robber, his expression pained a little from the confusion. Fear started enter his heart but the light decided to shrug it off, knowing that he had all the time in the world to worry about. For now, his main focus was the tomb robber and his groans of pleasure. Ryou knew that he actually heard a moan roll off the other's lips but he did not bother to ask about that, knowing that Bakura would probably deny it in the first place. After a few more hard sucks, the boy gulped the liquid that gushed in his mouth. He choked a little but brushed it off as nothing, licking the length clean of all of said release. By the time he finally met his release, the thief, too, was exhausted. He smiled lazily (a genuine smile, which was so rare it almost never happened at all) and felt to his knees, next to Ryou, stroking the boy's hair gently. When he found that Ryou had fallen asleep, Bakura went to go and gather his clothes, dressing quickly before going back to Ryou. He was going to take him to an actual room, so he could lie more comfortably on a bed or a couch at least, but he found it was easier just to collapse and sleep. Ryou smiled at the thief king before closing his eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

When he woke up, he found that Ryou had gone, and couldn't suppress the groan of disappointment. It took him a little while to get up properly, and when he did, he needed to stretch. His back popped, slightly stiff from taking a nap on the floor like that. A glance at a clock that was lying around told him that it was morning, and it was likely that he had gone to school... he could remember that much from when they shared a body, because when Ryou had nothing to do in class, he had either slept or watched Yuugi when the boy wasn't aware the thief was awake.

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:3 Now, off you go to review this little story by clicking that small button after this that says "Review this Story" and make these twisted girls really happy, alright? :) More reviews tend to fuel us to posting faster, seriously! This chapter is dedicated to the reviewers and the viewers of this story. If you really want to add the story as your fave, you can also do that in the review box!

Was that a good lime? Well, you better watch out for the real thing, I guess! 3

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 7**

Marik stretched a little, unable to sleep after hearing Ryou's screams of pleasure. Just as he woke up, he noticed a familiar white-haired thief walk past the halls. His hair was clearly disheveled and his expression almost pissed. The tan boy laughed to himself, standing up before leaning on the doorframe of his closet- err, a room where Bakura would usually keep his clothes. Lavender eyes fell on the pale thief's neck, raising an eyebrow. "That Hikari of yours can bite," he muttered, before smirking again. Oh what he would give to hear that sound coming from the doe-eyed boy's lips. Those sounds that just screamed pain and pleasure all rolled into one. "So what do you plan on doing today? Stalk him? Maybe, I should do that for you."


	7. Trust No One

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 350 visitors and 700++ views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw!

Since there seems to be an issue regarding the time frame, I'll clear things up. No, this is not set after the show. This is set along the time line of Season 4-5 but it serves as an alternate version of the story. You can call it AU, I guess but in this story line, Bakura and Ryou were split by the pharaoh through a small ritual of some sort. Ryou could not take the sadness of being away from Bakura and he regretted asking Yami for it. Thus, his memories were erased by the pharaoh. Bakura came back from the Shadow Realm though, now with his own body. I hope that clears things up! Well, I think I just spoiled part of the story but not really the major part.

Sorry for not releasing a chapter for more than a week now. My laptop crashed and I have been internet-less for a while too. :(

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

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**Chapter 7:** Trust No One

He groaned, and figured that he would have to do something else for the time being. With a quick check to make sure the Millennium Items he had were safe (though really it was just the Scales now, seeing as Ryou had the Ring and Eye and Marik had borrowed the Rod again), and being assured that they were, he went upstairs to get a proper change of clothes.

Marik stretched a little, unable to sleep after hearing Ryou's screams of pleasure. Just as he woke up, he noticed a familiar white-haired thief walk past the halls. His hair was clearly disheveled and his expression almost pissed. The tan boy laughed to himself, standing up before leaning on the door frame of his closet- err, a room where Bakura would usually keep his clothes. Lavender eyes fell on the pale thief's neck, raising an eyebrow. "That Hikari of yours can bite," he muttered, before smirking again. Oh what he would give to hear that sound coming from the doe-eyed boy's lips. Those sounds that just screamed pain and pleasure all rolled into one. "So what do you plan on doing today? Stalk him? Maybe, I should do that for you. After all, I can still pretend that I'm Marik- at the same time, I can keep a close eye on your love- I mean your Yadonushi," he said in an as-of-matter-of-fact-ly tone. Marik knew that the pharaoh would be able to sense the thief's energy from the boy but if he was there, he could divert the pharaoh's attention at the very least. After a while, the Egyptian was not able to hold back, "So, what's up with yesterday? What happened? I never knew you would actually do it with your Hikari. Was it something he wanted or did you want it too?"

* * *

Ryou woke up the moment the sun hit his cheek. He groaned a little but after careful deliberation, he realized that he was no longer in his house. He turned to his side, pressing himself closer to the warm figure beside him. It took him a few minutes to realize that his face was buried in something soft- almost cottony in a way. He blinked for a couple of times before letting his gaze fall on sleeping thief king. Eventually, events of yesterday flowed through his head as he sat up, holding his head a little. "Kura-sama," he whispered before smiling at the thief king. He brushed the bangs off of the thief's eyes before pressing his lips against Bakura's, "I love you, Kura," What happened last night... was nothing. They were only caught in passion. He wanted to tell himself that the thief king was running on love and all those positive emotions, but he knew that the thief king only wanted release. Ryou could not blame the thief king, though. He almost blamed himself for _forcing_ the said thief to do those things. Right? Bakura did not care about him. No, he was just a toy.

Ryou eventually made his way to school after stopping by his house to make a quick change. Through the walk, Ryou's mind was filled with the acts of passion that occurred merely hours ago. The thief king's lips all over him along with those tender gestures. He shook his head, realizing that he was already facing his locker. When did he get here? The boy shrugged it off for now, grabbing the books for their Literature class. It was hard to concentrate on Shakespeare when his mind was fixated on a certain thief king. It was really weird that they were actually talking about Romeo and Juliet- today of all days. He huffed lightly; at least Romeo and Juliet loved each other. "And for that name which is no part of thee, take all of myself," he whispered in sync with his teacher's readings, sighing lightly. If only Bakura was not engrossed with defeating Yami, then maybe, things would be different. For now, Ryou was actually satisfied that he was at least of some use with Bakura.

The Literature class was just getting out. Yuugi was chatting with his friends, and caught sight of his white-haired friend walking out by himself. "Bakura-kun!" He called, waving his friend over, then deciding to screw it and go over to him anyway. A look of genuine concern crossed Yuugi's features, and he put a hand on the other boy's arm. "Is something the matter?" He asked. "You don't seem very well today. Did something... happen...?" He trailed off, catching sight of... something... peeking over the collar of Ryou's uniform. He didn't ask about it, but gave his friend a wary and unsure look.

Ryou shifted a little the moment he heard the smaller-boy's voice. He flinched somewhat, remembering the promise he had with Bakura. He knew that he had to take the Millennium Puzzle off of the said boy but the question was... how? He gulped a little, then proceeding to adjusting the lace of the Millennium Ring so it would be unseen. He then closed off collar to the top. In truth, wearing his uniform like this was a bit of a pain, especially because it was a little hard to breath with a closed collar- and the blue long sleeves were not helping much either. Actually, today he was happy that he could wear his uniform like this for upon further inspection of his neck; he realized that the thief left some nasty love bruises here and there. Ryou actually smiled upon hearing that name, wishing that he was here. Well technically he was but knowing Bakura, he wouldn't appear until Ryou willed it.

He waved as well, smile disappearing when he realized that Yuugi was referring to himself and not the person he wanted to. "Hello, Yuugi," he said politely, along with a courteous nod, "Were you able to finish the Math Assignment?" Ryou did not exactly want to talk about the Millennium Items right now, but he knew he had to sooner, or later. After striking a conversation with the tri-colored-haired boy, the white-haired boy decided to speak up. "Anou... Yuugi? Can I come after school? I wanted to check out the new Duel Monster Cards. I heard that there were new ones today?" he asked, trying to avoid choking as much as possible. The Game Shop was something that reminding Ryou of a lot of dark forces and whatnot; after all, the pharaohs did the ritual there- and let's just say that extracting a 3000-year old spirit from you is not an easy feat at all.

Yami was, of course, skeptical about all of this. He could have sworn he saw the lace that tied the Millennium Ring around the paler boy's neck. Did he not leave it at the house every day? This was the first time in a while that Ryou actually brought the item to school- in comparison to Yuugi, who was displaying the Puzzle proudly. Also, he saw little red marks on his jaw line, stopping right before the cloth that covered his neck. There was seriously something off about this situation. Lastly, the boy seemed a little more distant than usual. Sure, the pharaoh noticed that Ryou would usually day dream during class or that he would constantly scribble on his notes even if the teacher was not talking but something was different from today. Was the boy happy? Although the smile was wiped from his lips, there was still a big ball of happy energy coming from this boy- energy that Yami was wondering about. _'Aibou, I sense dark energy coming from Bakura,'_ he said through their mind-link, watching Ryou for any unusual moments.

Yuugi smiled when Ryou began to talk back to him. He had been so quiet lately, and it was kind of worrying him, and the rest of their group, but of course he tried not to say anything about it. It seemed like whatever had been troubling his classmate had blown over in some way, so things were hopefully going to get back to normal soon. Back to the way that things had been before. And though he didn't know it, Yuugi was dead right - things were going to start changing, but not the way he expected at all.

He shook his head and laughed sheepishly. "N-no, not yet. I couldn't get my head around this one question... But I'm going to finish it later, for sure!" He explained. The boy smiled, ever the optimist. He was about to ask Bakura if he wanted to come by after school, since everyone else in their circle of friends was going too, but the other boy had beaten him to it. "Oh! Of course!" He exclaimed. "I was just about to ask you the same thing, actually. It's been a while since we actually played together, hasn't it?"

Yuugi's bright smile faded slightly when he heard his other self speaking to him in his mind. It wasn't much longer until he saw the translucent form of the Pharaoh behind Bakura, invisible to everyone else. His Yami look odd, almost... troubled. Something had to be wrong, but... he couldn't really believe it. Bakura seemed so happy! If there was dark energy radiating from him, then it couldn't have been a good sign... but it didn't look seem like he was under any sort of influence, least of all the Spirit of the Ring's. They had gotten rid of him a long time ago!

_Are you sure?_ He asked his Yami. _I mean, I know something's a little off, but he seems so happy... if you're thinking what I think you are, then there's no way... is there? I mean, he wouldn't be this happy if... if the Ring... if the other Bakura were back... right? _Yuugi looked back to Ryou's eyes, hoping that the boy hadn't noticed him almost zone out there. But now that he thought about it, Yami did seem kind of right. There was something really odd about this whole situation, and what Yuugi was actually most curious about were the marks that were just peeking out from underneath his classmate's collar. But he would be polite and not ask, at least not now.

* * *

Bakura could clearly hear Marik come into the room, but he didn't look up from what he was doing or acknowledge the others presence at all until he spoke. The thief just scoffed and raised a hand to touch where he knew a mark was - he could sort of feel it, even though he hadn't seen exactly what his neck looked like right now. "You don't really need to know that, do you, Marik?" He asked. He knew it would be safer not to go near Ryou at this time, but that didn't mean he didn't want to see him. Oddly enough he felt almost desperate to see him again.

He let out a short chuckle, almost sure he knew where this conversation was going. He certainly did not need Marik to keep an eye on his Hikari, especially considering they had the mind link and Bakura had already given Ryou the Millennium Eye. "Oh, Marik, how kind of you to offer!" He said, looking up and smiling. Bakura's voice and expression were just dripping with sarcasm and irony. "Really, I appreciate the offer... but it's not necessary. Do whatever you want, but you don't need to keep an eye on Ryou." _I can do that myself._ He didn't catch the slip-up he'd made in using his Hikari's first name, nor did he particularly care about it.

He laughed again and turned back to what he was doing. _Ryou, Marik might be coming by later... I don't know what he's up to, but don't forget about the Millennium Eye._ He kept his message short not for convenience, but because he was still a little bit peeved about earlier. He hadn't even heard from Ryou yet, so hopefully he was doing okay.

He decided to answer Marik's next question, if only to distract himself from his own thoughts for the time being. "Doesn't matter what happened or who wanted it. What's done is done... and if it happens again, so be it. All I know is that it got me closer to something I've been searching for."

* * *

Ryou was quiet while the other was talking, save for a few polite nods here and there. He was not one to interrupt people when they were talking but something was certainly off between the two of them. It was as if Ryou was pulling himself away from the smaller boy- almost scared of what would happen if he stayed by the other's side.

"Anou... Yuugi-kun? Are you alright?" he said, his right hand fidgeting with his collar once more. His neck was a little itchy- mostly because of the bruises that made his neck more sensitive that what it already was. His brown gaze fell on the boy's puzzle, the said gaze lingering for a while but not before he realizing that Yuugi would usually stay quiet like that when pharaoh was talking to him in a way. The boy was slightly off of it, realizing the trouble that he had to go through. After all, the pharaoh will not give the puzzle willingly.

Yami was simply observing the other's reaction, noticing Yuugi's reaction. _'I understand what you're getting at, Aibou. But still, there's something off with him. Probably another dark entity? Maybe, Marik?_ he thought, trying to understand as to why Ryou would act like the way he did. One thing was still bothering him though, the fact that the boy would constantly fiddle with the cloth around his neck. For a split second, he saw the slight bruise again but until now, he could not really tie things together. _'Yuugi, your friend has a... bruise on his jaw,'_ knowing for himself that it was not really a bruise- more of a love mark actually but he did not have the heart to tell his lighter counterpart that. The entity seemed to be walking by them; his face moving closer to the pale boy, not that Ryou would notice him anymore. No, scratch that. Not that Ryou would remember him in the first place.

"Yuugi-kun? Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu are waiting for us in the cafeteria. I just need to go to the bathroom for a bit. Save me a seat, will you?" he whispered before running to the bathroom.

Yuugi listened patiently to the Pharaoh, not commenting until he was certain he could get away with it. He didn't want to zone out again in case Ryou asked him what was wrong, and he didn't really want to bring up his other self. They were keeping it a secret from Ryou, and even though Yuugi did feel terrible about that, he couldn't very well say anything. It might jog the other boy's memory, so he remembered his own dark side... and that could be bad, although the young gamer wasn't entirely sure how.

Luckily for him, Ryou excused himself at that moment, so he had time to respond to his Yami. "All right! I'll see you there, then." He gave the boy a cheery wave, then sighed after he left the room, as if all the tension he hadn't been aware of had disappeared. He looked at his other self and smiled weakly. I don't know... it can't be Marik, because he's our friend now too, right? Besides, he doesn't have the Millennium Rod anymore... He paused, realizing something, and closed his eyes in thought. _Actually, I haven't seen him today yet. He isn't at school... I wonder if something happened to him, too?_

_And about that bruise... I wonder how he got it? _Yuugi wondered. He left the room and went to go find his friends, who were sitting not too far away. _It doesn't look like a normal bruise, for sure... and it was on his neck... I don't know how that's possible, unless..._ his thoughts trailed off there, and against his will, the boy began to blush. Yuugi was not quite as innocent as many people thought, and he had Jounouchi to thank for that, at least partially.

* * *

While he was in the bathroom, he took off the two top buttons only to reveal the bruises full blown. It made him smile a little, letting his fingers graze along the said hickey. It felt weird, appreciating this mark so much. He knew that he was a thing to Bakura but he did not mind. He would do anything and everything that would pull him closer towards the said thief. He loved him with every fiber of his being, willing to surrender everything for the thief king. He let out a soft mew the moment his finger grazed along his neck once more, jumping a little when he heard Bakura's voice in his head. He relaxed a little, holding the Millennium Eye before confirming that it really was the thief king.

_'Kura-sama! You're awake!'_ he exclaimed, blushing deeply. He was so flustered, wondering what he was supposed to tell him. He technically did leave without saying goodbye without saying anything to the thief king, _'I'm sorry if I left you alone a while ago. I still... Have to finish my mission,'_ he responded. He wanted to tell him of so many things but he knew that he had to hold back. "Love you..." he whispered to himself, wishing that he was with Bakura right now.

He perked up a little bit when Ryou's voice reached his mind, although the thief was careful not to let it show to Marik. _Yeah... why did you let me sleep in? You should have woken me up._ He asked, though he wasn't expecting an answer. Bakura usually didn't sleep so long, so he had probably been exhausted from that as well as their activities the last night. The hand that rested on his shoulder, however, was less than welcome, and out of caution (or perhaps paranoia), he cut off the mind-link between them for now. He didn't want a repeat of the fiasco when it had been penetrated before, after all.

* * *

Ryou looked at the gang before he realized that he should have at least lined up for the food before sitting down. The white-haired boy's face was still flushed; somewhat wondering as to how Bakura would reward him if he was truly able to get the Puzzle for the thief king. His eyes widened at the thought, blushing even more. His heart was racing at this point in time, unable to understand as to why the thief king could affect him this much. There was something about Bakura that just kept tugging at Ryou's heart- at Ryou's soul and whole being to be exact. "I'll just get food," he muttered under his breath before standing up to line up. Jounouchi was done with his first sandwich and when he realized this catastrophe, the blonde teenager rushed towards the line, placing an arm around the smaller boy's shoulder, grinning. "Thanks for saving me a spot, Bakura!" he exclaimed, grinning at the smaller boy.

Jounouchi was not the shiniest apple in bunch but he knew what a love mark was when he saw one. He grabbed the corner of Ryou's collar before exposing his pale neck, decorated with small red flower marks all over. The boy grinned lightly, pressing more against Bakura. "So, Bakura. Who's the lucky girl?" he asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Ryou was fidgeting at this point in time. He looked at his blonde friend before looking away, grabbing one of those sandwiches and a creampuff. Oh how he loved those creampuffs. He simply decided to ignore the said question. What was he supposed to say? The thief king actually changed his ways and that they had a late night booty session with him? That was out of the question. He was praying to all the gods that Jou would simply stop anytime now but that was not going to happen now. The boy was still poking at him even as he sat down and ate his sandwich silently.

"Yeah, Bakura? Who's the girl? Do we know her?" Honda asked, grinning as well when he heard the 'news' from Jounouchi. Apparently, their innocent white-haired friend was not exactly innocent. Heck, when Yuugi started looking at magazines and tapes with them, it was only natural. But seeing the all polite and respectful Ryou with love marks all over his neck was something that was truly out of this world. Ryou fidgeted in his seat a little. "I... uhm... Some stuff fell on me. Some of it hit my neck and created bruises," he mumbled under his breath. The lie itself was awful but he knew he had to say something to at least get them off his case. _'Kura-sama... What am I supposed to say? If only I could actually tell them that you were the,'_ his thoughts stopped abruptly the moment when he realized that he was blushing even more. Of course, seeing the boy's flushed face for more than once today made the pharaoh really curious. _'I'm quite curious as well, Aibou'_ he said, technically sitting next to the pale boy to further inspect the marks all over his neck. The pharaoh looked at Ryou more intently before looking at his Aibou, _'I have a bad feeling about this, Yuugi. The dark energy's just radiating from him. Plus the fact that the lace of the Millennium Ring is sticking out now.'_

Yuugi couldn't help but roll his eyes at Jounouchi's actions, from following their friend into the line-up for lunch to questioning him so casually. He laughed a little, too, mostly because that was just so typical of Jou. Anzu was laughing as well, though she wasn't doing it at Ryou's expense. She swatted at Jounouchi almost playfully, giving him a mock-stern look. "Hey, leave him alone. Maybe there isn't a girl at all! Or are you just jealous you haven't got any of your own love-bites?" She was teasing, and sent Ryou an apologetic look, like to say she was sorry and that she was only having a bit of fun.

Yuugi nodded and laughed again. "Yeah, back off you guys! You don't really need to know, do you? I mean, I saw them too, but I didn't ask..." He trailed off, a little nervous, mostly because of what his Yami told him just now. He was curious, but now he wasn't sure if he wanted to know, especially if there was something going on that had to do with the Millennium Ring...

As if on cue, Anzu tilted her head to the side. "Hey... what's that around your neck?" She asked, leaning over to tug at the rope holding the Ring in place. She really wasn't sure what it was, but it was plain to see that she had the same almost worried expression that Yuugi did. She pulled her hand back just as fast as she had stuck it out, though, and shook her head. "Never mind... it doesn't matter! I just thought..." she trailed off and shook her head again, noticing the surprised look that Yuugi gave her. _Other me... you don't think that he's really..._ Yuugi asked Yami. Now he was really beginning to get nervous about this whole thing...

* * *

Marik could not help but scowl a little. If Bakura was being like this, then he would closely guard the boy for sure! That would make his plans a little hard to do but he knew that he could pull through it if he does it right. He smirked lightly, placing a hand on the other's shoulder, "For a second there, I thought you were going soft on me but you're still the same Bakura. You did what you did to get what you want. And here I thought that you were starting to get tender," he stated, shrugging a little. From the thief's words, he knew that what he said was true. Bakura was really falling for the boy. The tan boy furrowed tilted his head to the side, smirking, "Don't worry, I'll take care of your Ryou," he said, making sure that he stressed the fact that the thief king actually called his Yadonushi by his first name- a new thing for Bakura. After all, he was the one who was willing to hurt his host to win against the pharaoh but now, he's making out with the said boy and... overprotective of him. THIS would not do.

"Hmph. Have you no faith in me at all?" He asked snidely. It wouldn't do to have Marik be so suspicious about him, but it seemed almost like it was blowing over... at least until he used Ryou's first name, then Bakura realized he had screwed up a little. Shit! He cursed, but of course he didn't let his anger show. He simply looked at Marik, appearing to be bored with all of this.

He sighed and shrugged so that the hand on his shoulder fell away. "Like I said, that won't be necessary. He should have some free reign, after all... and besides, I already know what he's up to." He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "But, like I said... do as you wish. I don't think I'd be able to stop you, anyway, as I am now." But he remembered what Ryou had said about the Millennium Scales, and if things came to a point where they would be necessary, Bakura would not hesitate to use the Item against Marik.

Marik looked at the thief king before snickering. "I never thought I'd see the day that a thief king would fall for a lowly human. Well I must be off to school now. I'm pretty sure that they would be wondering as to why my Hikari's not in school yet. Give me more time to spend with Ryou-chan," he said, mostly mocking Bakura at that point in time. Marik knew that it needed to be said out loud. He knew that the thief king needed to be hit on the head- or at least be reminded that what he's doing is not right. The thief king needed to be reminded that he was exhibiting signs that were not good at all. He shrugged before showing the tomb robber that he looked exactly like the tomb keeper now- his hair managed instead of his wild hair. The setting's perfect. Bakura might be able to protect his Hikari if he was near but the Egyptian knew that the tomb robber would be that near to the pharaoh. No, he would not want his identity to be busted so easily.

Bakura bit his lip after Marik had left, and started cursing to himself. He had completely forgotten about Marik needing to attend school... actually, he wasn't even sure if Marik went to the same school as Ryou and his 'friends'. Apparently he did, though, and it was good that he went to erase suspicion, but at the same time... Bakura knew that something about this entire situation was going to go horribly, horribly wrong.

But now that Marik was gone, it was safer to start their connection up again. He frowned._ Don't tell them anything about me, understand? Lie if you have to, I don't care. They can't know that I exist. Not yet, anyway._ Bakura thought for a minute, wondering what the hell was actually going on. And he didn't trust Marik at all; in fact, he trusted the Tomb-keeper's Yami even less than he trusted Ryou's friends (because they, at least, were honest people, if not annoyingly so). Marik's on his way, Ryou. Right now. So make sure you use the Millennium Eye to stay ahead of him and know what he's thinking! And on your friends, too, because going off what you tell me, they seem to be getting suspicious. He could only hope that things went smoothly, otherwise everything could end in this one afternoon. One never knew with a balance this delicate...

But he knew one thing for sure: If Marik laid a single hand on his Hikari; there would be a heavy price to pay.

* * *

Ryou was about to give in when Anzu and Yuugi pushed the others to stop the pestering. He sighed lightly, mostly because he knew he wanted to tell everyone. As to what it was, he was unsure of. Did he want to tell them that the thief king technically took interest in him? No, the thief king did not want him that way- at least not the way that Ryou wanted him to. Maybe, if times were different and situations were different, things would have been different. But no, this is what's happening so Ryou had to make do with what he had. He was actually of use to the thief king! He sighed lightly, fixing his collar to close it simply to make sure that no further questions would be made about the Millennium Ring. He clenched the cloth over his chest, feeling pained with what the other said. Ryou was not one to read the lines- for if he was then he would be able to read the massive concern that was travelling through their mind-link.

He would be able to tell that the Bakura was actually concerned about his well-being, to the point that he was ready to attack anyone that would even touch Ryou in any way. But of course, our Ryou was still oblivious- just like the thief king- about Bakura's emotions. He parted his lips to speak, turning on their mind-link so Bakura would be able to listen to what they were talking about. "My dad called from Egypt and said that I should wear it all the time- to remind him by," he whispered, pulling out the Millennium Ring from under his collar, "It has really intricate craftsmanship right?" Ryou blushed deeply, mostly because he was lying. He held the Millennium Eye under the table to check what they were thinking. Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu were buying it but Yuugi himself was a little skeptical. The white-haired boy blushed even more, looking at his plate. He saw the pharaoh beside him, his face technically inches away from his neck.

If the spirit was not a spirit, he was sure that he would have felt the said breath near his neck. He didn't like being that dangerously close to the pharaoh- or anyone for that matter. Suddenly, he felt a shadow loom over his sandwich, causing the doe-eyed boy to look up. There sat the tan boy with sand-brown hair, smirking at him. Ryou was about to grip on the Millennium Eye when he felt Marik's hand grip on his wrist in a dangerously tight manner. Ryou could only smile nervously before nibbling on the sandwich, using his other hand. The grip was unseen by the others, mostly because it was happening under the table. "Hey Marik! What are you doing- Oh yeah! You transferred today, right? Oh! Oh! Oh! I didn't know you knew Bakura!" the blonde boy exclaimed before tilting his head to the side.

"His father asked him to work for the museum I'm working in. We met there," he said in response, grinning. Ryou knew that voice. It was the Marik's voice- the real Marik's voice. Ryou looked up, his fingers inching closer to the Millennium Eye but he felt the grip on his wrist tighten even more. The brown eyes met with the lavender gaze, causing the boy to gasp lightly. It was still the other Marik there! The glint in his eye said so! _'Don't be too obvious, Hikari. I'm here to keep an eye on you. Just relax. I can talk to you through the powers of the Millennium Rod- but the power will wear off soon. I can't read your mind like what Bakura does but I can talk to the ones the Rod controls,'_ he said through the mind-link and soon enough the bell rang signifying the end of lunch. _'Kura-sama. Marik is already here. He...'_ his voice trailed off as Ryou gulped a little, moving his hand away from the pocket and grabbed his bag. He did not want to alarm the thief king so much, but the worry he was feeling was creeping through their mind-link.

Throughout the day, the pharaoh would look at the white-haired boy intently. Even when they reached the Game Shop, Yami was still a little bit suspicious about everything but said nothing to his partner about it. When everyone started fussing over the new cards, the pharaoh finally spoke up, _'Maybe it was just a pigment of my imagination after all, Yuugi. The Shadow Magic seems to be wearing off.'_ Little did he know that the only Shadow Magic wearing off was the one Marik placed on Ryou. Ryou was quiet throughout the day, not contacting Bakura at all. _'I want to see you,'_ he thought, his heart wrenching in pain. He missed the thief terribly already, as he drew another card as it was his turn already. Out appeared their card- The Change of Heart.

Though everyone else seemed to accept Ryou's reasoning for why he was wearing the Ring still, Yuugi still wasn't entirely convinced, but he didn't bring it up again. He stayed quiet about it until school ended and they were at his home, playing Duel Monsters with the new cards that had come in. Pretty soon, he was able to forget all about it, at least until the Pharaoh brought them up again. _That's a relief... but I don't know if we should rest yet. Usually when you get worried about something, you're right about it._

Marik, however, was an entirely different story. It was nice that they had another friend to hang out with, but at the same time, something about his presence seemed... off, somehow. _Other me, is there something going on with Marik too?_ He asked, hopefully so that nobody else noticed. Things just kept getting more and more confusing...

* * *

All day, Bakura had been on edge. He had been waiting for Ryou to contact him, but after hearing the conversation between his Hikari and the boy's friends, he hadn't heard anything else. He wanted to scold Ryou for letting them know about the Ring and coming up with such a transparent lie, but he hadn't heard anything else about it, so he could assume they bought said lie, as silly as it sounded to him.

Yuugi and his friends were far too trusting - not that he could complain.

Then, finally, after school got out, Bakura thought he would be able to hear something. But nothing came for another hour and a half, which made him pace about nervously. In the meantime, he had checked on things - namely the Millennium Scales, and the figurine that the real Marik's soul had been locked into. He had spoken to it, gloating somewhat, and threatening him. But in the back of his mind, he knew he didn't want to destroy Marik just yet. He still had his uses, after all... like if the Dark Marik got out of hand, for instance. And he could always use this figurine as blackmail.

But finally, _finally_, he heard something from Ryou, and sighed in relief._ Then come and see me!_ He snapped. They both knew that the thief couldn't very well go to the game shop on his own - it would be too troublesome. And he was a little annoyed at Ryou, anyway. _Thought something might have happened to you, _he grudgingly, yet readily admitted_. Don't leave me waiting like that anymore, understand?_

But they had more pressing things to discuss. _What's going on over there?_ He asked._ What's Marik been doing?_ Yes, he was being paranoid about the Egyptian being around there, but in his defense, it was justified. Marik's Yami really could do a lot of damage when he wanted to, and he always wanted to. Bakura didn't trust anyone, Yami Marik least of all.

* * *

"My turn! I'm putting a card face do-" "Sorry guys, but me and Ryou have to go already. You know... Work in the museum?" the Egyptian boy said, placing a hand on the paler boy's shoulder. His eyes were stern and yet gentle to those who did not know that it was Yami Marik under that flesh. Ryou could only nod in agreement as he stood up, grabbing his things before saying a quick goodbye to the gang. The white-haired boy simply followed Marik, looking at his back and then to the ground. He kept his head low, not even bothering to turn on the mind-link that he had with the thief king. He did not want to start-up a conversation with the said dark being, knowing that he was not one to be trusted. The white-haired boy tilted his head to the side when he realized that they reached a somewhat shanty.

The house was bad- almost similar to one Bakura had. Ryou was about to step away from the said place when Marik pulled him in. "This... This isn't the museum," he muttered to himself, wondering if he should call for help or something. He only watched the Egyptian boy smirk at him as he pushed the boy against the wall a little. The pale boy gasped, not liking the distance between them. There was only one person that he felt comfortable with in this distance and it was certainly not Marik. He gulped a little, turning his face to the side when felt the Egyptian boy inch closer to him. It was scaring, feeling that warm breath against him. He wanted to push the Egyptian boy away but he could feel something poking him from the side- The Millennium Rod's blade, attempting to make a cut on the otherwise clean easel that is Ryou's body. He was about to contact Bakura when Marik smirked.

"The Millennium Rod is wonderful, isn't it?" he whispered, pressing the blade against his side, tearing the onion-like skin with such an ease. The boy winced a little, whimpering somewhat but it was nothing that he could not handle. Ryou placed his hands on the other's chest, putting as much effort to pushing the other boy off of him already. It was not until teeth sank in on his pale neck did he realize that he was in a deep pool of trouble. Tears immediately trickled down the side as the glow in the boy's eyes disappeared- almost as if the Millennium Rod took everything as it shone throughout the rundown house. The Egyptian boy could only smirk at the whimpers that came from the pale boy. It was as if he was hitting two birds with one stone- he was going to hear those pained screams of the Hikari and at the same time, he was going to damage his rival pretty bad. Or maybe, it was three birds, instead of two- cause he will badly damage the relationship Ryou and Bakura had. What was his purpose exactly? Nothing too flashy, he was a being created from hatred and pain- he liked those dark emotions inflicted on others. Soon enough, the house was filled with screams of pain- mostly asking for the help from the tomb robber. Unfortunately for the two white-haired boys, the Millennium Rod was hindering the connection between them.

Ryou trudged home, feeling numb all over. He actually passed out for a good few hours and when he woke up, he was alone in the warehouse. He did not even want to think what happened to that place- mostly because every time he did, tears would well up his eyes while his heart started to break. He knew that he was at fault. He should have avoided staying alone with Marik. He should have been more suspicious of the Egyptian boy- that was the only order of Bakura but he failed. But what broke his heart most was the fact that he broke his promise to Bakura. _'I promise that you- you will be the only one who would see me like this. The only one who would see me shaking in pure pleasure and intense pain. No one will see me in pain save for you,'_ he recalled as he reached his house, crawling towards his couch. His hand gripped tighter on his side to stop it from bleeding but to no avail. His lower lip quivered as his mind started to run free from Marik's Shadow Magic. When he realized that the connection between him and the tomb robber was clear already, he started sobbing- feelings of intense pain, worry, and even more pain flowing through the mind-link. _'I-I'm sorry, Bakura-sama,'_ he whispered, almost sighing in relief when the items on him were safe. At the end of the day, the items were more important that him, right?

* * *

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Seriously drop your pants in the next chapter.

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 8  
**

Broken. Taken. Defiled. These are just some of the words that showed what Ryou was feeling. He thought that Marik was an ally. Of course the Yami warned him about it. He warned him that the Hikari should stay away from Marik- because he can hurt Ryou beyond the boy's imagination. At that time, he thought that he was ready for any physical pain but nothing could prepare the white-haired boy for the physical, metal, and psychological torture that he had undergone. Ryou sighed, turning to his other side so that he would not put any pressure on the wound. If only the wound was the only thing the Egyptian boy did. He could recall the tight grip on his waist and his arms and his wrists as well. He taken over and over again- like a rag doll pulled out from somewhere. Tears trickled down his cheek before it widened, hearing the familiar voice of the thief.


	8. Collecting Overdue Debt

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 350 visitors and 700++ views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw!

Since there seems to be an issue regarding the time frame, I'll clear things up. No, this is not set after the show. This is set along the time line of Season 4-5 but it serves as an alternate version of the story. You can call it AU, I guess but in this story line, Bakura and Ryou were split by the pharaoh through a small ritual of some sort. Ryou could not take the sadness of being away from Bakura and he regretted asking Yami for it. Thus, his memories were erased by the pharaoh. Bakura came back from the Shadow Realm though, now with his own body. I hope that clears things up! Well, I think I just spoiled part of the story but not really the major part.

I hope that this chapter would be enough of an apology to you guys! :) Here's my overdue debt- Chapter 8!

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

**Chapter Warning: **This chapter is almost pure lemon. Contains smut and a little bit of bloodplay. ;)

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**Chapter 8:** Collecting Overdue Debt

After still hearing no responses from Ryou at all, even after he contacted the boy, Bakura started to grow even more worried. Something was definitely wrong... was it the Pharaoh? Had he caught on? Or had Marik done something after all? He had to go check, make sure everything was okay... but he couldn't, not yet; if he was seen, then both he and Ryou would be in deep trouble. It wasn't worth the risk right now.

But, because he was restless and paranoid, he decided to do something anyway. Instead of going to the Kame Game Shop, he made his way to Ryou's home, knowing the directions to get there straight from his memory. In a way, the thief was glad he was decent with directions and had a way of memorizing the layouts of this city. It certainly spared him time and confusion.

So when he got there, it was a little later than expected, because he had been further away from the home than he had first thought. When he went to open the door, it was of course locked, so he picked it with the same skill he had used to get into Kaiba Corp not long ago. It was odd, but that seemed almost like it happened many years ago, even though it was only a few days past. In his defense, a lot had happened in these last two days.

Bakura entered the house, and simply paused. He hadn't bothered to make sure if anyone was home, but there was no noise and he had come in quietly, so it seemed safe to say that he was alone. The peace didn't last long, however, as a few minutes later he heard another door open and close. Without thinking, he hid himself, just in case it wasn't Ryou that had come in. He had completely forgotten about the boy's father...

Luckily, though, it was only Ryou, as he found out when he heard a small noise coming from the boy. He breathed a sigh of relief and began to walk towards him when he heard the other's thoughts, making him stop dead in mid-stride. His eyes widened, puzzled: _what could he possibly be sorry about?_ But something about that was bothering him. He regained his sense of self and rushed forward, going to see what the matter was. Of course, he hid his concern with a show of annoyance. "Why didn't you answer me before?" He snapped. Something still wasn't right, though, and that was when he noticed that Ryou was bleeding.

"Shit!" He cursed; the panic in his voice much more apparent than he wanted it to be. He rushed over to the side of the couch, next to Ryou, falling to his knees and pushing the boy's hair out of his face. He felt his forehead, wondering if he was feverish for some reason (He wasn't used to this kind of situation; usually if someone was bleeding, he enjoyed it, or had at least caused it in some way), and generally freaking out. "Gods, Ryou, what _happened_ to you? Are you all right-? No, don't answer." He could already tell. Shaking his head and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do, Bakura rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, bringing it over to his Yadonushi just in case.

Bakura lifted his Hikari's shirt to inspect the wound. "It's deep..." he muttered. From what he could tell, it was a knife wound, or from some sort of blade. That was even more worrying. Who the hell would attack him with a knife? He growled, looking up and down the boy's body to check for any other wounds. He noticed that there were some more bruises on his neck, ones he didn't remember leaving. All in all, he was in pretty bad shape, and he was sobbing, too...

_Marik,_ Bakura thought. _Marik did this..._ the conclusion was obvious, from everything he saw. But he didn't know what to do about it just yet - making sure that Ryou was okay, that was the most important thing right now. _Damn it. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. I'm sorry, Ryou. I'm so, so sorry..._

Broken. Taken. Defiled. These are just some of the words that showed what Ryou was feeling. He thought that Marik was an ally. Of course the Yami warned him about it. He warned him that the Hikari should stay away from Marik- because he can hurt Ryou beyond the boy's imagination. At that time, he thought that he was ready for any physical pain but nothing could prepare the white-haired boy for the physical, metal, and psychological torture that he had undergone. Ryou sighed, turning to his other side so that he would not put any pressure on the wound. If only the wound was the only thing the Egyptian boy did. He could recall the tight grip on his waist and his arms and his wrists as well. He taken over and over again- like a rag doll pulled out from somewhere. Tears trickled down his cheek before it widened, hearing the familiar voice of the thief.

"B-Bakura-sama..." he said weakly before he felt the other's touch on his face. He flinched a little at the contact, tears trickling down even more from his doe-like eyes. He felt dirty- filthy even to the extent that he felt that he should not even lay eyes on the thief. Ryou kept his eyes closed, whimpering silently. The moment he felt his dark half started to lift his shirt, Ryou immediately pulled it down, exposing his bruised wrist to the thief king. "N-No... Please. No," he whispered before moaning in pain. Some blood already dried off but more blood was trickling down his side. Ryou was still pressing on the shirt, trying to avoid saying anything. He knew that the thief would be mad- so hearing the thief apologize was something new. He shot his head up as the brown-eyed boy stared up at the figure looming over him. His lower lip quivered before somewhat shrinking into the couch.

"I-I-I-I'll get the Millennium Rod! I promise! I know that this would hinder your plans for a while but I'll be able to get the Puzzle and the Rod! I pro-" he choked a little as more tears started to gush from his tear ducts. He made no effort to wipe it off of his beautiful face, mostly because he was busy keeping his shirt down. If the thief would see the evidence of what happened to him- of what Marik did to him then who knows what the thief would do, right? After a while, his sobs became soft whimpers once more, remembering that Bakura hated the tears. For sure, the Yami would abandon him- grab the items from him and leave him alone. For sure, the Yami would not really care about him. For sure, the thief king was not thinking of what happened to him, right? If so, why was the thief king- THE THIEF KING- apologizing to him and still keeping him close?

After a while, he opened up his mind to let his other self see what happened to him. It started with a white flash and soon enough, clothes were already discarded on the floor. Screams for the thief king engulfed both of their heads, Ryou keeping quiet through this. It was painful to retell the unfortunate events that happened merely hours ago but he also knew that the thief king had to know what happened. The white haired boy reached out his hand, stopping mid-air and letting his hand lay limp against the edge of the couch, before looking away. In their heads, groans coming from the lavender-eyed boy were evident. Ryou could distinctly remember liquid trickling down his inner thighs- pinkish in color. It was a mixture of blood and other bodily fluids that Ryou dared not to mention. "I-I'm too dirty, Bakura-sama. I'm sorry that I could not keep my promise. H-He-He took me," he whispered, sobbing once more. At one point in time, the images stopped, mostly because the boy did not want to recall the more gruesome acts committed by the tan boy.

"Don't be stupid, Yadonushi, if that's going to heal I need to at least _look_ at it." Bakura pulled his hand away anyway, because he did have a decent look at it, but he would still need to lift the other's shirt to clean it. He could wait, though, for a little longer. The bleeding was slowing down, and it didn't look like he had lost too much, but he couldn't really tell. "And will you calm down? You're only making this worse. The Millennium Items can wait; I've been waiting three thousand years already; a little longer won't kill me."

Even though he had been apologizing, Bakura hadn't known the real reason for Ryou's current state. He had just assumed something had gone badly, or Marik had had a little bit of fun somehow... but he hadn't imagined at all the extent of which that had gone on to. But now that he was seeing it...

The thief staggered backwards, eyes wide, horrified. He clutched his forehead, trying to will the images to stop... but they kept coming. It was relentless; he didn't want to see this... he couldn't do anything about it, even though he was watching... it was just like back then, centuries ago, and even then he could do nothing...

"S-Stop..." he breathed, voice almost too small. It was unlike him - normally the thief always displayed his power and confidence, but now it was different. When finally, mercifully, his mind was left alone, he cringed, falling to his knees. For a moment, he was silent, and then slowly, he started laughing. It was hollow, though, empty and breathy; and gradually it grew until it was hysterical, like something had broken. It took a while for him to calm down, and when he did, he stood and stalked over to Ryou. He looked down at him darkly, eyes narrow and threatening now. "Why didn't you use the Millennium Eye?" He hissed. "I gave it to you to avoid this kind of thing. And I warned you about Marik anyway."

Another shift, another change in expression, and now Bakura was smiling sadly and affectionately, petting Ryou's hair as he knelt by the boy's side. "Don't cry. I told you, didn't I? If anyone hurts you or makes you cry, I'll kill them. Marik is no exception, Yadonushi." He was already formulating a plan in the back of his mind, but was wondering how to do it in the most painful way. There were certainly a lot of good ideas... perhaps he could even use this to his advantage and get the Millennium Puzzle at the same time. Although that was not his priority right now - like he had said, Bakura could wait to get his hands on that Puzzle. He could even wait to get the Rod. But this... his revenge... it couldn't wait. The Pharaoh lived on still, after three thousand years, and the world could always be plunged into darkness, but Marik was nothing but a human, albeit one with dark powers. He would die like a normal human and rot away like one. Bakura couldn't wait for that. No, something would have to be done now.

But he wasn't finished with Ryou yet, either. That, too, could wait, though. "Sit up. We need to have that cut looked at as soon as possible."

Ryou was similar to those porcelain tea sets- the ones that your mother does not let you touch. The white-haired boy was fragile. He tried to be brave and to fight with all that was in him but one could never really blame him for his current state. Like chinaware pushed from the top shelf of the cupboard, the boy was broken- shattered into pieces and it was up to the thief king to put everything together again. A sigh of pain escaped his lips, his body shaking as he sat up. From his point of view, the thief looked strange. Why was he breaking down as well? Was it because of the acts Marik committed? No, that can't possibly be it, right? Bakura was contradicting himself again, in Ryou's mind, telling him that it was okay and that he could wait for the return of the Millennium Rod to him. "Kura-sama, why are you willing to wait for your goal? Is it because of..."

The white-haired boy's voice was not really in proportion. His voice would soften most of the parts of his speech before he finally gave in. The thief was right; he had to see the damage inflicted so that he could think of a way to heal it. "I don't think I'd want to go to the hospital, Yami-sama. I-uh," he whispered, not really scared of the hospitals but instead, he did not know if he could give up more bad lies. Unless of course the thief king would want to accompany him or something, he would prefer to stay home. He placed his hands near the base of his shirt, slowly lifting up the material. The cloth itself was really bloody and when Ryou finally released himself from its tight hold, the work of art and insanity presented itself to Bakura. The blank easel that remained as pure as possible was now covered with blotches of deep red here and there.

Ryou dared not cry anymore, even though all of his senses were telling him to. He inched closer before falling to his knees, coming face to face with the thief king. Their lips were only centimeters apart when the brown-eyed boy collapsed in his arms. On his back was the worst damage of all- similar to the inscription on Marik's back. The cut was not all too deep but the message was evident. The symbols for 'Yami no Marik's possession' was glaring back at whoever looks at it, making the boy shake. Would the thief king still want him after this? However, as Ryou remained in his hold, he finally felt it. It was faint and really distant but he could feel the concern radiating from the thief king's hold.

"You should stop pretending already, Kura-sama. I know I'm not at the proper place to ask but you should not keep your feelings bottled up. I know that I'm your possession but... Is that the only reason as to why you feel so agitated right now?"

The boy lifted his head to look at the tomb robber again, eyes shining like newly-polished jewels. Ryou shuddered slightly, feeling the warmth from the thief king too addicting to stay away. He inched closer, clutching onto the black coat covering the said dark being. He pulled himself up so that he was already sitting on the other's lap, perpendicular to the usual position. "I don't understand, Kura. Normally, I could never offer myself back to you. But," he paused, his face deepening in color. It was not even lust this time. It was that feeling of completion every time that Bakura was there. At the end of the day, he felt whole every time he returned to the thief king. "If you would let me, I would prefer to serve you- even if I get to be demoted this time. No more intimate moments, if you want! Anything Bakura. Anything so that I can remain by your side. Anything, Kura. Anything." Ryou spoke with so much determination but still, he could not help but to blush constantly, thinking that the thief king would push him away. Ryou looked up at the thief king, his doe eyes shining once more. The thief king was there and oddly enough, he pushed the thoughts about Marik aside. The white-haired boy only focused on the tomb robber and nothing else as he lifted himself up. With one brush of their lips, Ryou succumbed to his hold, leaning his head on the other's chest, _'I don't know if you're aware but I really do love you, Kura-sama. That's why it hurt so much. It was not even the pain I felt. It was the fear that you would leave me.'_

Bakura didn't answer. He looked to the side and focused on nothing in lieu of speaking. It was almost as if he was still shaken up, or still thinking about something... but that was only half of it. The other half was the fact that he was just trying to avoid the question. In truth, he wasn't sure why he was willing to wait. He really didn't care if it took a little longer; three thousand years of waiting taught him a little bit of patience.

He examined Ryou's back, frowning deeply at the marks. He was not impressed with what he saw; in a way, he was disappointed with Marik for doing something so unoriginal as to copy what was done to him, but that was heavily outweighed by the anger he felt pulsing through his body. He wanted to touch the marks, but held back from it out of fear of hurting the boy further.

Bakura scoffed again, closing his eyes. "Hmph... Of course it is. Why? What did... what are you thinking?" He was on edge again, on his guard. He knew he was hiding something from his Hikari, but he wasn't ready to let him know about that yet. Still, he wondered if Ryou had figured it out on his own. The thief rolled his eyes. "Shut up for a minute, will you?" He said, and leaned in to kiss Ryou softly. When he pulled away, he still looked upset.

"I'm not giving you up that easily, understand? Even if this did happen, it doesn't change much." He paused, reflecting on what Ryou had said. He was willing to do anything it took to stay in the thief's favor? Well, that was certainly interesting. A cruel grin broke out on his face, and he turned back to gaze at his Yadonushi. He didn't even respond to the thought that he heard, because something just as satisfying was creeping into his mind. He chuckled darkly and began caressing his host again, grin softening into a nearly tender smile.

"I know. But I'm not leaving... I'm never leaving you." He laughed again. "Ryou... have you ever felt the urge to hurt someone? To take everything you can from them and more? Because if you like... we can do that. I'm not letting Marik get away with this. If you want, you can help... or even take it into your own hands. I'll give you the choice, of course... but first, I think we need to look after your wounds."

Ryou blushed even more the moment he felt the thief king's lips on his own. It just seemed right to be in this position with him that for a second, he actually thought if this was the feeling Yuugi got when he talked to the pharaoh. At this point in time, he did not care. He was happy that the white-haired thief was cradling him close. Just hearing him say that he was not willing to let go of Ryou easily made his heart really happy and then it hit him. The boy was not one to read between the lines and unfortunately for Ryou, Bakura's messages were mostly in between the lines. The corner of his lips contorted a little in an almost Bakura-like smirk, hugging him. His body hurt, yes, but he did not want to pass up the opportunity this easily. The thief king's emotions were placed under a magnifying glass now- presented to the Hikari clearly with no twists and turns this time. The thief king was in love with him as well.

The boy knew that he would never admit it- at least, not now but he was contented with this kind of connection. Tears trickled down his cheeks, this time out of happiness but he quickly bowed his head, wiping the tears away. He started laughing quietly before nodding and standing up. The only person that he wanted to hurt that much- according to Bakura's definition- was the thief king. But that was then and this is now, right? The boy winced, standing up before pulling the thief king up. "The First Aid Kit's upstairs. Where you left it," he whispered.

He remembered the times that he would be involuntarily pushed out of his own body after a massive attack formulated by the thief but the moment he came back to his senses, he would be bandaged up. That was the only action that showed Bakura's compassion and whatnot back then but at that point in time, the boy was sure that the thief king did it just to cater to his body. After all, he could not shoplift with a dilapidated body right? But now, it was different. Now that the thief king had his own body, he did not have to care for Ryou as much and yet, it seems as if he was doing it on a whim. The tomb robber might call it 'taking care of his former host' or 'repaying his debt' but now, Ryou knew it was something else. He did not want to assume though. It seemed to him that everything starts to flop the moment he starts to assume stuff. Soon enough, his arm was slung around the other's shoulder as Bakura aided him in walking up the stairs. The gravity was totally against them but Ryou tried his best to put pressure on his own feet as not to burden Bakura a lot. He sighed lightly smiling even. "I love you so much, Bakura," he whispered.

Ryou was seemingly drunk at this state, not able to stand up or do anything straight for that matter. At one point in time, he was already laughing to himself. He was going on and on about his similarities with the said thief king and after every statement, he would constantly say his love for Bakura. Maybe he was already insane at this point in time- no one was sure about it though. The boy relaxed when they reached the top step, groggily pushing the thief king against the wall. The pain was slowly leaving his body mostly because of the thief king. Bakura's words surely worked wonders for the pale Hikari. After a quick lip lock, Ryou pulled Bakura towards his room. Ryou pulled the First Aid kit to the bed. Sweat thinly covered his pale skin, some of the blood mixing with the said liquid. He sighed lightly, running his hand through his hair before pulling his pants down. "H-Help me, Bakura-sama?" he said so innocently to the point that it seemed as if the boy was already teasing him.

Now that he was completely naked in front of the said Spirit of the Ring, the boy looked alluring- seductive even to a certain extent. His cheek was pressed against the mattress, sighing at the soft sheets. By now, the nasty cut had already ceased bleeding so the sheets were not that dirtied up the moment he was already on it. Ryou's back was facing Bakura. He turned a little, looking back at him, parting his lips a little. Oh how Ryou looked pretty in that position- too pretty to a certain extent. In an eerie and totally disturbing way, Ryou looked as if he was doll, his ivory white skin contrasting with the lush red sheets. Ryou blushed deeply remembering that it was Bakura that chose these sheets. The white haired boy raised his head a little, his lips parting even more while his big eyes stared at the thief king- almost seducing the said thief king.

Thinking about the First-Aid kit being exactly where he had left it so long ago was an odd thought to Bakura. It had been a long time ago since he'd used it, but he still remembered where it was. Not only that, but it sounded like it had been untouched from where he had put it (the Spirit had moved it from one of the rooms downstairs into the bathroom, but never meant to make that its permanent home). Had Ryou not needed it at all during the time they had been separated? Was he actually less prone to injury than the Thief-King thought, and it was only Bakura that managed to achieve all those injuries? Or did he really just not move it?

More questions flitted through his mind even as he finally brought Ryou up the stairs. He hardly even realized what was going on through his reflection, and when he did, he was actually surprised. It showed on his face, too, for just a split second, before he melted into their quick kiss and Ryou's sudden aggression. He let out a small noise of enjoyment or approval, as if he had just tasted something delicious for the first time. He laughed lowly in his throat even as his Hikari pulled away. Against said boy's lips, he whispered, "You're insane," and wrapped his arms around his neck to pull him in for one quicker slightly-less-than-chaste kiss.

A short sound of amusement came from Bakura as Ryou began to move about. He didn't pay much attention to how he was moving, instead opening up the first-aid kit and gathering all the materials he would need to clean and bandage Ryou's wounds. He briefly went to the washroom to wet a cloth, and when he came back, the thief raised an eyebrow. He looked surprised for half a second, and then placed that characteristic cocky smirk back on his face. _Insane,_ he repeated in his mind. Nonetheless, he approached the bed where Ryou was lying and crawled up next to him.

Bakura shifted so that one of his legs was on either side of Ryou's and pushed the boy so that he was lying on his side. "Somehow I don't think you care about what Marik did anymore. Unfortunately, I still do." He chuckled and leaned down, kissing the wound gently before lifting the damp cloth to wipe away the drying blood. He tried to clean it gently, but ended up opening the cut enough to make it bleed a little bit more. Apologizing casually, Bakura leaned back down to lick up the small streams of blood trickling down to Ryou's stomach.

"Mmm... I bet it hurts, doesn't it...?" He asked in a deep voice. He licked his lips, giving Ryou a predatory smirk for a moment before reaching over and starting to apply gauze on the cut. He wasn't an expert in First-aid by any means, but still, he was having quite a bit of fun with this.

He shuffled back, off the bed, looking at his Hikari from a distance. "Oh, Yadonushi, you're still a mess. What am I going to do with you?" But instead of waiting for an answer, he came forward again and put his hands on either side of Ryou's face, bringing him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

He wasn't done yet, by any means, but for now teasing seemed like the most fun thing to do.

Ryou froze the moment he heard the said statement. The thief was insane if he thought that he actually did not care about what Marik did anymore. True, he was more than willing to forget what had happened but that did not mean that he did not care about whatever happens to him. Ryou sighed, glaring at the thief king somewhat, "It's not that I don't care. It's more of I'd rather not think about it for now. Personally, I would have preferred you take me first," he muttered. Maybe it was because of the pain or the feeling he had with Bakura but something was giving off an air of intoxication for Ryou. The boy was a little blunter than usual- especially if he was already talking about their supposed booty sessions in the future- in the near future, Ryou hoped. The boy sighed lightly before laughing curtly, "That did not sound right, now did it?"

Unconsciously, he let out a sigh of contentment the moment he felt the thief's lips press against the said wound. His lips felt cool against the wound, letting his hand move to his hair a little. He smiled, looking down at the said thief but not before wincing. The damp cloth was slowly taking away the dried blood off of him but the moment his wound opened up, Ryou did the weirdest thing. The boy moaned. Upon realizing what he just did, he pressed the palm of his hands on his lips, afraid that the thief king heard. Of course he did, Ryou had no doubt about it. But that did not mean he could not hope for otherwise. The boy's eyes shone the moment he saw the wet muscle leave the tomb robber's mouth before pressing itself on his stomach. "Y-You're insane," he murmured, mocking the thief king but at the same time, letting out sighs of pleasure.

It was not like this when Marik took him. The said Egyptian did nothing save hurt him here and there. Ryou could still remember the other's hand on the wound, putting so much pressure on it. The blood was gushing from the injury, somewhat covering them both. The boy was starting to reminisce what happened again when he felt the gauze being applied on the wound. Strangely enough, the white-haired Briton was about to protest with the gauze. He actually wanted to see his own blood leave his body. No, not because of Marik but because of the thief. Ryou felt weird- awkward even- that his personality would do a complete 180 the moment the thief was there. He diverted his attention to the thief before looking at his eyes, those deep eyes that he loved looking at most. At one point in time, he thought that the thief had the same eye color as him- a deep chocolate brown- but upon further inspection, he realized that it was of a different shade.

It was red. Blood red as some may call it but the boy regarded it as crimson. Once again, he saw that loving look from Bakura (for about a split second this time) before feeling the other's lips on his. "K-Kura-sama," he muffled through the kiss before letting out sounds of unadulterated lust and pleasure. He could taste his own blood in his mouth, wondering why Bakura licked up the liquid in the first place. Maybe it was the Shadow Magic doing this or maybe it was just the thief's innate appeal but something told Ryou that Bakura brought out something out of him. Ryou was an introvert, there was no doubt about it; however, the boy would be so aggressive when it came to the thief. He parted from the kiss, panting a little as he studied the other's features. "W-Why does... Why does it feel good when you open me up? Bloody hell, I think I'm going mad," he whispered before licking his own lips.

"Relax, Yadonushi. I didn't mean anything by it." He waved the thought away, almost wishing he hadn't brought it up again. Still, seeing the boy getting all worked up and angry over this... it was satisfying in ways it really shouldn't have been. In many ways, it was as if they switched personalities... but only at moments like this, when Ryou needed looking after, and there were other feelings hanging around in the air. It was all very odd, and nearly overwhelming to Bakura.

He laughed dryly, making a coy face at his Hikari, and trailing his fingertips up and down Ryou's arms, where there were multiple small cuts. He was almost scratching, lightly, putting just enough pressure on the boy's wounds to cause a reaction, but not enough to be truly painful. He knew what he was doing - experimenting while he was in the boy's body had given him more than a good idea of what he could do to drive Ryou wild. But he had never actually visualized his host as being one to openly enjoy this kind of feeling - he always assumed Ryou would deny the pleasure he got from the pain of wounds. Bakura, on the other hand, was the exact opposite in that respect.

He backed up again, viewing Ryou from a short distance. The thief's eyes never left the boy's; a dark smirk grew on his features, and he looked almost predatory for a minute. He held out his hand, as if offering it to Ryou, then at the last minute decided against it. "Don't move," he whispered. He only stayed away a few more seconds, silently appraising the form on the bed sheets, admiring how his pale skin stood out on the deep red of the sheets, and how the bruises and love bites contrasted against his overall complexion. He was unhappy with the marks he didn't leave, but the way they looked right now, in this steadily dimming light... it was beautiful. Spectacular. Alluring. It was like he was calling out for Bakura to do whatever he wanted...

The thief stalked forwards again, moving smoothly, almost like a cat slinking towards its prey. He climbed up on the bed again, running one hand down Ryou's legs to lift one slightly, pressing his lips to each little cut and bruise that he saw, from foot to ankle to knee to thigh, lingering and moving upwards as slowly as possible. When he reached Ryou's hips, Bakura looked up with half-lidded eyes, a dark, seductive expression on his face. _You need to stop torturing me, Yadonushi,_ he told the boy over their mind-link. _It's unhealthy for the both of us. _

Once again, he reached out, this time fisting a hand in Ryou's hair gently and pulling him forward so that their lips met again. This time, he kept it slow, deep; he was drawing it out, trying to put a message behind the gesture other than simply 'I want you now.' He was attempting to put some emotion behind it, but of course he wasn't experienced with that sort of thing so there was no way Bakura could tell if the meaning was getting across properly. He just had to hope that Ryou understood.

Ryou blinked a little before staring at the thief king. He could vaguely remember all the times that they had together when they still had the same body. He could not remember anything else save for the times that happened for the past few days. Personally for Ryou, the past two, turning three, days were a major rollercoaster experience. At the same time, the experience was not one he would want to forget. The Hikari parted his lips again and again, arching his back once in a while. He had been completely vocal about his feelings and now, he has completely released all of his inhibitions. After all, they were alone in the big house. The neighbors were probably still in their desk jobs, seeing that it was around 6 or 7 in the evening. Ryou felt hesitant at first, wondering if it was alright. He knew how the process was, especially due to the events that happened a couple of hours ago.

"Should we really do- Oh God, Kura!" he exclaimed, feeling his lips on his lower half.

There was something about those kisses that made Ryou feel like he was being lit on fire. The moment he felt the other's lips on his thighs, he let out another moan in pleasure. "W-Why... so good?" he panted, completely unable to create comprehensible sentences. His senses went back soon enough when he felt the other's hands on his hips. For a second, fear rushed in his eyes but the moment he realized that it was just Bakura; he relaxed in the other's hold almost immediately. Ryou parted his lips to speak, letting his tongue run over his own lips, "What do you mean torture?" he asked, completely oblivious that he was seducing the thief in his own little ways. True, the boy was probably more innocent compared to the others of his age but he knew when a guy is already turned on.

The boy was pretty sure that Bakura was already on the edge.

With one tug of his hair, their lips gravitated to each other once more. This time, Ryou slid his tongue inside the other's mouth, his hips bucking forward a little. He knew that he was rubbing himself on air but his budding erection did not mind. The cool air actually helped a little, if it was possible to turn him more than what he is already. The boy wrapped his arms around the other's neck, pulling him closer before rolling on top once more. The kiss still lingered as Ryou started to fiddle with the other's clothes. He parted from the kiss only to lift the garments from his head before staring down at his chest. "Kura... You look so..." he whispered before attacking his chest with a few licks here and a few bites there. Seriously, the boy was dreamier than whoever he could imagine. For the white-haired boy, it should be a sin to look this good.

But he would gladly commit this sin all over again, if he could.

"C-Can I retract my previous offer of no more intimate moments? I don't think I can live with myself if I really did let go of this," he muttered. Soon enough, the thief's clothes were discarded on the floor. Ryou was already in between the other's thighs, licking from his hole to the tip of the other's member. The boy gulped a little before putting the said item in his mouth. The feeling was so surreal, too overwhelming even. Maybe it was because they shared the same body but Ryou was sure that this taste was the taste he loved the most- even better than creampuffs! Oh yes, he would gladly have this everyday even if it meant committing the deadliest sin of all. The boy sucked softly before slowly massaging his thighs. He even brushed his hands against the sacks that contained the cream he liked the most. The boy was blushing- glowing even- as he slowly lifted his head up to stare at his Yami. From last night's experience, he knew that Bakura loved being pleasured like this so when he felt that Bakura was almost there; he pulled away, planting a kiss on the thief king's lips.

"I want you too. Please, take me."

Bakura laughed in spite of himself. He was being practically stripped in front of his Hikari - and by said Hikari nonetheless! Somehow, he couldn't find himself minding - because even though he hadn't wanted to start something like this in the first place, it was happening now and there was nothing that the thief could do about it. And now he wasn't sure if he wanted to stop, either.

But there were still some doubts in his mind about this. Ryou had just been taken and abused by Marik... doing this would undoubtedly hurt him more, albeit not emotionally. But physically? That was another story entirely. Bakura could not say how much it would hurt, exactly, but he was worried about it. Normally, when Ryou's body was hurt, it was his doing; however, that had been when he was sharing the body. Out of concern for the boy, and at the time having wanted his complete trust, Bakura had taken the majority of the pain from him. He had a high threshold for it, in any case. Like when he sliced open their arm - the reason it hadn't hurt Ryou for the most part was because the Spirit was taking all the pain for him. It was like a deal of sorts, albeit unspoken of between them. Hell, Bakura wasn't even sure if Ryou _knew_ about it.

But now things were different. He couldn't possess any part of Ryou, not to control him, and not to absorb whatever physical pain he could. No, now he was there to deal him pain and not take the consequences of it. This feeling of power, without the same extent of responsibility as before, was overwhelming. Bakura swayed for a moment, but quickly regained his balance and frowned. He was uncertain about this, for sure, but there was no turning back now even if he wanted to.

He shook his head. Bakura soon felt himself get moved, then something wet start to lick at him. He arched his back a little, throwing his head back and opening his mouth wide for a silent scream. He clutched the sheets beneath him tightly, nearly writhing in pleasure. This shouldn't have felt so good, but it did... and he wanted more. When Ryou asked him to take him, the thief sat up to switch their positions again. He growled, eyes flashing with lust and desire.

"Take you..? Gladly. But you'll have to wait a moment."

He placed two fingers near Ryou's lips, smirking deviously. "Suck," he whispered breathily. The thief's eyes were still glinting; he only hoped Ryou realized what he was about to do. "Or do you think you don't need it?" He asked suddenly, wondering if maybe Marik had already done enough to prepare the boy. Bakura really didn't know enough about what had happened to make any real judgment, but he wasn't really interested anyway. He didn't want to know about what Marik had done to his precious Yadonushi.

Ryou was still uncertain about all of this. He, himself, was utterly confused with the way his emotions were going haywire. He could not understand as to why he was readily submitting himself to the thief but he did not want it to go any other way. He looked down at his own darkness, running a finger across his cheek. His Yami looked so delicious and at the same time, so innocent when he's consumed in his own pleasure. The Hikari tilted his head to the side as he stared at the thief. Why did he not look this handsome when he was still a spirit? The boy sighed, nuzzling him a little before making small pecks on his neck. Soon enough, their positions were switched again- back to their real positions. He looked up, still mesmerized by the situation. Maybe, he read the signs wrong or something. Could it really be possible that Bakura wanted him as well? His thoughts were silenced when he felt two fingers pressed against his lips.

Now, Marik was not the sweetest guy in the world. Heck, if he was the least bit sweet, he would have opted to do what Bakura was doing right now. Needless to say, he did not ask for any permission before taking items that did not belong to him. The idea struck Ryou as something childish but being the rationale thinker that he is, he did not want to delve much into the situation. Even though the thief wouldn't admit it, he knew that the thief was actually hurting. No, enraged by the fact that Ryou was taken by someone other than him. Bakura's possessive nature was not new to Ryou but he did miss it a lot. He sighed before making kitty licks on his fingers. "I must really be going mad, Bakura. I-I want it to," he then started mumbling as he started to lick on the fingers even more. Ryou knew what Bakura was doing after all. He wanted it to not hurt as much as possible. Probably, the thief wanted the white-haired boy to enjoy it as much as he did? He did not really delve into the idea. After all, why would Bakura not want to hurt him?

"I washnt it to hoirt," Ryou said while the two fingers entered his mouth already. The boy continued to do as he was asked, sucking softly then hardly and then softly again. The idea of being touched there was not really something that he wanted to make- at least that was what he thought as he made his way back to his house. But now that he was this close to Bakura- this close to finally being his fully, Ryou did not want the opportunity pass by just like that. The mere idea that he was going to be taken by his beloved thief was something he could only imagine a few years back. But now, it was happening. The boy blushed, realizing that even back then he was dreaming of the thief. That was probably one of the reasons as to why the thief knew which buttons to push. After all, Ryou could distinctly remember one morning that he woke up with wet pants.

When he was done sucking, licking, and biting, he released the thief from his mouth, panting heavily. "As long as it's you... I don't mind if it hurts. I really am insane, Kura-sama," he said, laughing a little before looking at him. His arm was resting on his forehead; sweat trickling down his neck and to his shoulders. Ryou grabbed the thief's hands before guiding him slowly to that particular spot. He took in a sharp breath before relaxing, pressing his fingers against his own hole. At the sudden contact, Ryou could not help but moan. Why is it when Bakura somewhat re-enacted the moments that happened a few hours before it felt so good and right altogether? "Y-You don't have to be too tender with me, Kura. I can take it. I trust you," he whispered before planting kisses on the other boy's neck. His heart was thumping in his chest, knowing what was next. He hoped it wouldn't hurt as much but part of him really wished that it would hurt like hell. God, Bakura turned him into a masochist already.

Though he wasn't paying attention to any thoughts Ryou might be having and didn't know that Ryou realized how angry he was, Bakura was indeed hurting and furious about having to do this after Marik had already taken what he wanted from the boy. He wanted to be the first, the only one to do this to Ryou. He never wanted to share; the King of Thieves never shared what he took. Thinking about what Marik did just felt wrong, but it wasn't going to stop him. Ryou was his, damn it, and he wasn't going to give him up that easily.

He grinned and panted heavily, pulling his fingers from between Ryou's lips. "All right then... if you're sure." Hearing that actually gave him confidence, in a sense. He knew now that no matter what he did, it would be okay with Ryou... and if he hurt him too much, then he would just have to make it up to him. But Ryou would let him know if something was too painful, right?

He moved his hand downwards. The thief leaned over and kissed Ryou once, long and gently, as he pushed his two slicked fingers into his Hikari and began to move them. He was careful not to do too much, wanting to only give the boy a taste of what to come. He wasn't completely nervous anymore, and had abandoned almost all restrictions. He watched the expressions on his Yadonushi's face, smirking the entire time. He loved everything that Ryou did - the noises he made, the way he moved, the faces he made... and they weren't even really doing anything yet. It just made Bakura lick his lips in anticipation, thinking of what might change when they started this for real...

It seemed as if there was enough preparation done (Marik had made it somewhat easier, and Bakura hated that), so the thief withdrew his fingers. Still smirking, he leaned over to whisper in his Yadonushi's ear, "Are you ready?"

When he heard the response, he pushed himself in. He scrunched his face up a little from the initial resistance and the waves of pleasure that came over him. It wasn't the smoothest of motions, because they didn't have anything to make it any easier at the moment, and the saliva that Ryou had left on him was drying quickly.

For now, he paused, breathing heavily. Bakura's face was painted red with heat, but he managed a grin at Ryou. "You okay?" he asked. For some reason, he had suddenly become concerned again, mainly because he wanted to just keep going, but he still had reason enough to not go too far... yet.

The boy exclaimed the moment he felt the other's fingers inside him already. He groaned a little when he felt the fingers slip in and out of his hole, his hand brushing against the thief's member. He knew that the other was already getting hard. He would be ready soon enough. Ryou whimpered in delight the moment he hit a particular spot. How the thief actually found the spot escaped the boy completely but he thanked the gods that Bakura knew which buttons to push. When Bakura licked his own lips, Ryou could not help but groan in pleasure. "Y-You look so... f-fucking good," he whispered, his body shaking in pleasure. The moment the fingers were withdrawn from him, he made a little 'mew' in irritation. He was about to ask him as to why he stopped doing the said act when he felt something better pressed against his hole. He relaxed as much as he could but it appears as if he couldn't relax anymore. In truth, the boy was excited to have the thief back with him.

Ryou clutched into the sheets as he arched his back, screaming in both pain and pleasure. A few drops of blood hit the sheets as he did so. True, the boy had done this before but in truth, he bled more with Marik than this. The boy groaned a little, getting used to the size inside him. It felt different and yet right at the same time. There was seriously something wrong with him. He writhed in pain as he tugged on the sheets even more. His fingers were a totally different experience from this and yet, he couldn't ask for more. Involuntary tears trickled down his cheek as the boy looked up at him. At that point in time, the emotions on the Yami's face flashed clearly. He tried to try himself to stop crying but it seems as if the pain itself was too hard to handle. More tears trickled down his cheek but Ryou knew he could at least do something to tell his darker half that everything was alright.

"S-So... g-goohhd!" he mumbled, letting go of the sheets and wrapping his arms around his neck. He remembered the particular spot that Bakura liked and he was sure that the said spot will cause the thief to get going again. He pulled him down; licking his ear before letting his warm breath hit his ear. "Stop... b-being s-o concerned. Y-You're the thief- ahnn!" he exclaimed before placing part of his ear in his mouth. All of his skin was already too sensitive and at the slightest touch, all of his body would tingle already. He groaned softly in his ear before sucking on the other's ear. He bucked his hips forward a little, his other hand reaching for his own member. "C-Can't you see how... how much I want you, Kura-sama? I want every part of you... S-So please. Stop being so concerned and go back to your normal self," he whispered in between moans and groans. After a while, Ryou started to whisper a few dirty words in the other's ears, his face deep red already. He was not at all aware that he could say those kinds of words- to his Yami nonetheless!

Ryou stroked himself, groaning slightly before panting. He squirmed beneath Bakura as he brushed his fingers against the hardening member. Soon enough, it was fully erect, brushing against the thief's stomach. The boy sighed in pleasure before relaxing back down the bed. If only Ryou knew how beautiful he was right now. He was sprawled under the thief, his porcelain-like skin glowing underneath him. The light of the moon was shining through the window, hitting him just right. In truth, the white-haired boy looked like an angel. Ryou's eyes were closed, moaning softly at the intruder. "S-Shut up for a minute, will you Kura-sama?" he said playfully before flashing him an adorable smile. There was something about the boy that truly looked magnificent as he smiled up at his darkness, "Just... Take me."

Even though seeing the bit of blood coming from Ryou should have alerted Bakura or made him hold back a bit, it did nothing. If anything, it made him grin and continue forward with even more excitement. When he saw the tears, he just reached forward and used his thumb to wipe away a few of the tears. He smirked. "Stop crying," he said. "You wanted this, didn't you? And I want you too much to stop now." He began to move again, a little bit awkwardly at first, still trying to adjust to this feeling. It had been far too long since he'd even _thought_ about something like this... but then again, maybe it wasn't as long as he'd thought.

It took a moment for him to work up a rhythm, but when he did, he started out a bit slowly to make sure he kept it. Soon, Ryou began to nibble his ear again, and it made Bakura moan louder than he had been doing thus far; he thrust in sharply without realizing it, too, and that was the end of his slow pace. The thief continued on, faster and harder, until he found a way of moving that he was causing him the most pleasure, and what seemed to also please Ryou the most without hurting him too much.

He growled, looking down at his Hikari through the haze. It was difficult to focus through what he was feeling, and even harder to form a coherent sentence, but he tried anyway: "You might regret saying that," he joked, letting out a loud, involuntary cry afterwards. He was slowly going back to how he usually acted. Actually, he was rather glad of that too - the concern he had been showing had unnerved him somewhat and made him question if he had really changed. But it was a bit relieving to feel himself reverting to his usual attitude. The next thing Ryou said made him laugh. "Hm, where have I heard that before?" He hissed. Bakura continued to thrust in and out, giving his Hikari a coy smile when he began to angle his thrusts a bit to try and hit that spot that made Ryou see stars again. _You have some strange dreams, Yadonushi._

Saying that (or thinking it, rather) might not have been a good idea. When they had shared a body, Bakura had often found himself watching dreams that didn't belong to him, not out of necessity, but because sometimes it was hard to block them out... and at times, he found himself giving in to the curiosity he had about the person he shared a body with. And so, Bakura had watched some of Ryou's dreams - he hadn't meant to let that fact be known, but he had said it now. Hopefully Ryou wouldn't think too hard on it.

The boy was about to react to what the thief just said when he felt a sudden thrust inside him. His body moved along with the thief's as he widened his eyes at the sudden harshness. As Ryou began to relax again, he shifted his hips so that he was moving at almost the same rhythm as the thief. This small movement alone caused sparks to erupt from his heart. He gulped a little as he placed a hand on his back, pulling the thief closer to him. He could not help but groan the moment his need started to twitch. Their stomachs slowly got covered with droplets of his own pre-come, his eyes barely open. His chest heaved, moaning and screaming again. Ryou's screams started to get louder the moment the thief picked up his pace. "B-Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, his other hand finding its way to squeeze in between their bodies and fondle with his own member.

The pleasure after that was simply unbearable. He felt a sudden shift in angle certainly brought Ryou on the ledge already, teetering between reaching that peak that he has longed to see. "K-Kura-Kura-sama! Ngh... H-Harder!" he exclaimed, bucking his hips forward so that the friction between their bodies would already increase. The reaction was instant for Ryou's earlier moans were nothing compared to the erotic cries spurting out of his lips. At this point in time, his mind was out of it already, exclaiming profanities as he asked the thief to go harder, deeper, and if it was even possible, a little more ruthless than what he was already. He panted, his hand prying off of his member before pulling the thief closer, closing the poor excuse of space between them already. Their lips found themselves already and just like that, their connection simply exploded between the two of them.

Ryou slipped his tongue inside the thief's mouth, grinding his hips in whichever direction he could. There was seriously something wrong with the situation. In truth, if it were the pharaoh and his partner committing an act like this, then it would sound sane and all that. But with the two almost opposite beings one like this was totally out of this world. But at the end of the day, Ryou did not want to change anything for the world. "Kura-sama! F-Fu... Shi-Ngh!" he exclaimed, feeling as if his limit was nearing him already. The thief's length only slid its way in and out of his tight (and now bleeding) hole but Ryou did not mind at all. Could it really be possible that the other truly liked him that way? With one thrust, the boy was immediately brought back down to Earth, pressing his body against the bed. It was as if he was shaking, almost there at the rocking orgasm that he wanted to achieve.

"I-I'm getting close... I-I'm c-c-" he said in between yelps. He was shaking in pleasure after a few moments. He was already thanking all of the gods and deities that he knew when he realized that this feeling was actually achievable. Ryou suddenly felt his stomach clench a little before kissing the other deeply. Ryou furrowed his eyebrows, mentally apologizing to him because he had not decided if he was only going to stay on the bed or if he was going to clutch onto him. He arched his back a little, holding onto the thief as tight as he could before crushing their lips against each other. He moaned, technically yelled, into the kiss as he finally reached his climax. He shuddered under the white-haired thief king; his eyes closed in pleasure as he yelled the thief's name. After the first wave of pleasure, he collapsed on the bed, their stomachs and chests covered with his sticky release.

He panted, knowing that he has been filled with the thief's seed. He could have sworn that the thief reached his peak at the same time as he did but he was not one to tell. His chest went up and down in a vigorous motion, as if scared that his lungs were not getting enough air. As soon as Ryou hit his climax, Bakura soon followed, still moving as he rode out his orgasm, but soon he just shuddered and collapsed, trying to catch his breath. It wasn't too long to regain it, however, so he quickly pulled himself out of Ryou and rolled over, pulling the boy closer to him just as he snuggled up.

Ryou blinked once or twice to get the salty liquid from the base of his eyes. After a few more blinks, he pulled on the thief a little to have him beside him already. The white-haired boy groaned as the length slipped off of him, scooting over to the warm body beside him. He was hesitant to touch the thief at first, almost scared of him after what just happened. Wait, did they really have..? _'K-Kura-sama... W-We really did it. We actually…'_ he asked through the mind link, pressing his ear against the other's chest. The sound of the thief's heartbeat was somewhat scaring Ryou- mostly because his was going at the same rate. His form was still shaking as he wrapped his arm around the other's waist, pulling the other one as close as possible but not before he placed a blanket on top of them.

Despite his unease at realizing what they had just done, the thief couldn't help but smile. It really was an amazing experience... and he was glad it was with Ryou. He wouldn't want it any other way - nobody even appealed to him at all (it was a miracle that he even was attracted to Ryou, given his normal disposition).

Oddly enough, in the post-coital bliss, Bakura couldn't even really keep his thoughts straight. He was just so... strangely_ happy _in this moment that he almost didn't know what to do with himself. He blinked a few times, thinking to himself, _Sticky..._ and then looking at Ryou as if he had only just noticed his Hikari was there. "Ah... Yadonushi, you're a mess," he chided the other, wiping away some of Ryou's seed with the tip of his finger. For a moment, he stared at his hand, then shrugged and licked the drops off. He just couldn't get his head around this. He had had sex with someone - someone he had shared a body with, who was practically a part of him to begin with, and... And he liked it. Liked _him_. But it runs a bit deeper than that, doesn't it? He asked himself, not even bothering to cover up his thoughts this time. He almost forgot about the mind-link, and besides, he was tired from what they had just done.

There were a few moments of silence before Bakura finally answered, rolling over to kiss his Hikari again gently. When he pulled away, he was smiling - not grinning, not smirking, but actually smiling. It only lasted a second, however, before he was smirking once more.

"D-Does this mean that your debt has been repaid, Yami-sama?" he asked, not even bothering to look up. In truth, Ryou did not know whether to feel happy or just simply confused about the situation but he was certainly grateful that the thief was willing to grant his little wish. "If that's all you want from me, then yes, my debt is repaid." He chuckled quietly. "One of them, at least - I think I owe you quite a lot more than just that, of various reasons, landlord."

It wasn't as if Bakura was ignoring the other boy's member; he was more focused on what he was doing to even think about what he could be doing, until he felt Ryou's hands between their bodies. He almost laughed, and decided to help him out a bit, but changed his mind at the last second in favor of raking his nails down the boy's chest and sides.

The thief dropped onto his back again, sighing heavily. His train of thought had come back, so he couldn't enjoy the mindless bliss any longer. It was back to thinking about what he had to do, what he wanted to do. Most of all, though, he was thinking of how to get back at Marik for what he had done. At the moment, nothing seemed horrible enough for him.

Ryou moved closer to the thief after the deed. He was shivering but the other's body heat was just enough to calm him down. His doe-like eyes looked up at the thief the moment he heard the other's thoughts. _'You... like me?'_ he asked through the mind link, his finger, drawing circles on his chest and stomach. He shook his head, smiling before laughing. "Quit kidding around, Yami. I know that what we did was more of my demand than yours," he whispered, obviously still in denial. He ran his hand through the other's hair, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek before brushing his lips against his darkness'. He blinked once or twice before reaching for something at the other side of the bed. The boy sat up, looking at the item at hand. Ryou shuddered the moment he felt the cold metal pressed against his bare chest. After getting used to the feeling he moved back in Bakura's hold, drawing soft lines on the thief's side.

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 9**

Ryou groaned a little as he shifted in his seat. Through lunch, the white-haired boy was quiet. He just listened to the others talk as he fidgeted in his seat. His back side hurt. His legs felt wobbly. He could have sworn that he was getting a fever but he did not want to over think it. He sighed lightly, biting his lower lip, _'My butt hurts,'_ he said through the mind link, his cheeks deepening in color. He preferred not to talk about his love bites and other markings on him, mostly because he might end up slipping up and say the real cause of the said marks. _'But I would gladly do it with you all over again. Not like you have a choice on that, Kura-sama,'_ he said through the mind link, laughing a little under his breath. This caused their blonde friend to look up, tilting his head to the side as he stared at the white-haired boy. Why did Ryou suddenly laugh when the punch line to his joke wasn't there yet?

"Don't get ahead of me, Bakura! I was not even there yet! As I was saying, what do you call a pig who knows karate? PORK CHOP!" he exclaimed, laughing heartily as all of the friendship crew stared up at Jounouchi. Ryou raised his head before picking on his food once more. Not once did he make eye contact with Marik, who was busy creating holes on the other's forehead. The stare that the Egyptian made was not exactly a glare but more of a relentless stare. Of course, Ryou was really uneasy throughout lunch to the point that he was thanking all the gods the moment the bell rang. "Bakura? We should talk. Classes are off tomorrow, right? Can we meet up with each other since you're going to the museum today?" Yami asked, momentarily taking over of his partner's body.


	9. Paranoia

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Thank you for the warm welcome of LMST in your lives! We got a few followers in and more than 350 visitors and 700++ views! That certainly warms our hearts but what would truly make us happier is if you guys would review more. Seriously, it'll only take a few minutes of your time and you'll make us happier than a kid with a bendy straw!

Since there seems to be an issue regarding the time frame, I'll clear things up. No, this is not set after the show. This is set along the time line of Season 4-5 but it serves as an alternate version of the story. You can call it AU, I guess but in this story line, Bakura and Ryou were split by the pharaoh through a small ritual of some sort. Ryou could not take the sadness of being away from Bakura and he regretted asking Yami for it. Thus, his memories were erased by the pharaoh. Bakura came back from the Shadow Realm though, now with his own body. I hope that clears things up! Well, I think I just spoiled part of the story but not really the major part.

Sorry for the delay, guys! School just started and yet, my professors have already given me a hell lot of work. Here's Chapter 9 to make us all happy?

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

**Chapter Warning: **Just a little bit of dirty thoughts. Nothing too drastic.

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**Chapter 9:** Paranoia of the Nameless Pharaoh

He sighed lightly. He knew that the bliss would only last after a few minutes after the actual act but he did not know that the thief would quickly regain his senses. The thief king's anger was clearly passing through the mind link and it truly scared the white-haired Hikari. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to console the thief? Tell him that it's alright when it was not? At the end of the day, what did the thief want to see? A fake smile on his face or tears streaming down his cheeks? The boy pulled the thief as close as he could, missing their connection already. It was scary, really. Ryou was already too attached to the thief and knowing what might happen to the thief. Based on the other's dreams before, he was killed by the pharaoh's Millennium Items. Could he really let go of the thief the moment that happens?

Ryou eventually found himself drifting off to sleep as he stayed in the other's hold. Eventually, everything went black. When Ryou finally opened his eyes again, he could not help but notice that sand was beneath him. Sand was blowing against his face. Sand was covering parts of his body. He scratched his eyes lightly but simply closed them the moment he felt some sand hit his eyes. The boy shuddered at the sudden heat, wondering as to where he was. Was he in the Shadow Realm? No, the Shadow Realm was not like this before. He sighed lightly before sitting up. In that moment, he saw nothing but sand. "Yami-sama? Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, looking for the thief but it seems as if it was nothing. He sighed lightly before moving forward. After all, he did not have an exact choice as to what he was supposed to do or say at that moment.

Everything had faded out long ago for the thief lying next to his former host. At last he was starting to regain his sight, but what he woke to was anything but what he was expecting. Too often he had seen this very scene playing out before him: people screaming running, begging for their lives while men ran with spears and other weapons and fire blazed amongst them. Bakura had run, too, into a small house that he hoped was out of the way enough that he wouldn't be seen or caught. He had already seen what happened to the people that were too slow to avoid the Pharaoh's soldiers.

The boy eventually reached a town- a burning town for that matter. He widened his eyes, his head moving about to try and understand as to what was going on. Shrill yells and screams could be heard from here and there that the boy could not help but to simply press his palms against his ears to lessen the sounds but to no avail. He ran around when he found this particular alleyway. He was skeptical at first but his instinct told him that this was the right way to go. _'You'd better be right,'_ he thought. Eventually, he found himself standing in front of a particular house. It was a little far from the other houses but he could hear something. He furrowed his eyebrows as Ryou stepped inside the house. "Hello?" he asked, his voice echoing around the house. He listened, trying to drown out the sound of the screams of the outside.

One by one, the thieves that had been run out of the city were felled right before the boy's eyes. He huddled into the corner, wishing he could stop watching, but was unable to peel his wide, terrified eyes away from the chaos in front of him. The child whimpered. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be, and he wasn't supposed to die here, was he? "No, no, no, no... H-help me... please..."

He buried his face into his hands, curling up into a ball in an attempt to make himself as small as possible. Maybe they would miss him if he was like this... but part of him knew he would be safe, because he had seen this before. Anger was still flowing through him rapidly, along with the fear. These emotions made no sense: he was afraid of what was happening, even though he felt as if he already knew the outcome. Eventually, Ryou found a boy, crouching in the corner of the room with the same hair color as him. "T-Tozokuoh-sama?" he stuttered, realizing as to where he was. Kul Elna, during the time of the raid.

At a small voice, the boy instinctively looked up. His eyes widened impossibly, and he shuffled away from the person talking to him as if this would be the one to kill him. He didn't say a word, just stared and kept shaking. Tozokuoh... it sounded familiar, but where had he heard it before? Nothing made sense anymore! Who was this boy, and why was he here? He obviously was dressed too strangely to be from Kul Elna, let alone any other part of Egypt. And he had white hair, too... which was rare enough as it was - Bakura thought he was the only one that possessed such a feature. Apparently not.

Even though everything was telling him to run away from this boy, the young Egyptian stayed where he was. Eventually he stopped shaking, and just watched to see if the mysterious boy was going to do anything. If he was destined to die like this anyway, then it might as well come sooner, and from someone that looked as if they would be gentler than the angry, screaming men outside.

The boy was scared, which pushed Ryou to feel uneasy as well. He crouched down, wrapping his arms around the boy. He hesitated at first but this was something that he had always wanted to do. There was a sudden urge for him to suddenly be tender. He sighed lightly, petting the back of his head to calm him down. "Tozokuoh-sama," he whispered, trying to calm the future thief king. He tightened his grasp around the boy, whispering words of comfort to stop the demons inside his head from taking over. "I'm right here, Bakura-sama. There's no need to worry." He parted from the boy, caressing the other's cheek. He smiled and held his hands, "I will never leave you. I promise," he whispered, remembering the same conversation he had with his darker half just moments ago.

Eventually, the screaming and yelling had stopped already. Ryou clutched the other's hand before pulling him outside. What presented before him truly scared the boy, wondering as to what kind of heartless fiend would actually do such a thing. His gaze became stern before dropping to his knees, holding the boy once more. "Y-You don't need to avenge them, Bakura-sama. I know it hurts but fighting does not solve anything," he choked out, his own anger and sadness seething through his words. Ryou was lost for words. Was this truly what happened to his beloved thief king? Now, he understood things better and he would gladly fulfill the other's dream of killing the pharaoh because of this. The pharaoh had no right to destroy their lives, thief or not. He held his hands tight, "No. I will help you avenge them, My Tozokuoh," he whispered. He had been in Ancient Egypt before but he didn't know that it was this gruesome. Maybe, their connection was actually tighter than before.

The small child's eyes dulled a bit as he was held and led outside, slowly coming to a realization that this was a dream. It had to be, because he didn't remember being grabbed by someone that looked like him, or hearing Ryou swear to help him. But somehow, it was satisfying, almost comforting. The young thief's frightened expression twisted someone, into a very near bloodthirsty grin. He didn't respond vocally, instead just holding the other boy's hand and waiting for the dream to slowly melt away.

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When the thief's eyes opened, he saw Ryou sleeping, face contorted with unease. The boy had just been in his dream - was he that upset by what he had seen? Even though Bakura was used to the chaos of watching Kul Elna being destroyed before his eyes, it still hurt somewhat... so it was only natural to assume that Ryou was hurt over it as well. He was such a kind boy, probably unable to even imagine the terror and bloodshed of that night... and yet he had seen it. It was the one thing Bakura hadn't wanted to share, partially because he wasn't sure of the reaction, but he had a feeling it would change something in Ryou, maybe make him snap. And he wasn't sure that the world needed another psychotic teenager in it, especially one with a Millennium Item.

He closed his eyes, curious as to whether or not he could still see Ryou's dreams. It didn't take long for a scene to materialize before him. He was watching from the sidelines, as usual, this time in an unfamiliar place, with two unfamiliar people near him. But there was Ryou, looking much younger than the Hikari Bakura knew. _This must be his childhood,_ he thought. It seemed fair that he could have a glimpse of something he hadn't seen before of the boy's childhood, since said boy had seen his Yami's moments ago.

Ryou shifted a little before the scene disappeared before his eyes. When images appeared before his eyes, he was in a car- or so it seemed. He could hear laughing and giggling coming from the person in front and the person beside him. He turned his head to the side before widening his eyes. _'A-Amane-chan,'_ he thought, his eyes widening once more. No, it cannot be. He thought he had gotten rid of these kinds of nightmares before- so why does it seem like they're back with a vengeance or something of the sort. _'Mama... A-Amane-chan!'_ he exclaimed in his head. It was as if his tongue was stolen by a cat at that point in time when he finally heard the tires screeching. He quickly turned his head to the sound. Everything was too quick to comprehend- the gas tank exploding, tires flying in the air.

Bakura didn't move, doubting that Ryou had even seen him somehow. The only time he did anything was when he started to see and hear things break, and fire blaze around them. When Ryou finally got out of the car, he saw the event flash before his eyes. He just stayed on the ground, having lost all tears he could possibly release. The paramedics came after a few hours. His mother and sister were dead on arrival while he only sustained minor wounds. Ryou was still dazed at that point in time but just like a cruel joke, the event repeated for at least three times before he bolted straight up, sweat forming on his forehead.

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Ryou blinked the tears away from his eyes before wrapping his arms around his knees. Why is it that both him and his darker half had nightmares? Could it be that fate was trying to tell them the outcome of events the moment they decided to be together? He could not help but sob for a few more minutes before raising his head. "3:00 AM," he whispered, his hand falling to the side before clutching the hand of the thief. He gazed at him lovingly before brushing his lips against the sleeping thief's figure, "I will keep my promise, my thief king. I will avenge them with you."

The scene had quickly torn apart into just darkness, and Bakura had to force himself to act like he was still asleep. He didn't move when he felt lips brush against his, but what he heard made him snap his eyes open, staring at Ryou long and hard, trying to assess him, and yet nothing ran through his mind. He chuckled darkly, letting it grow only a little bit. He shook his head, then leaned over and kissed him deeply, but slowly.

When he pulled away, his eyes narrowed._ I've tainted you,_ he thought, not necessarily to his Yadonushi. Oddly, he wasn't upset about that - he almost liked it. No, not almost, he loved that his weak little Hikari was no longer weak. He was strong, could do things of his own choice, but was so deeply wrapped up in the thief's plans that he was choosing to follow along with it.

He smiled for the second time that night, reaching and stroking his Hikari's hair out of his eyes. "Good. I wouldn't have it any other way. They've wronged you too, after all."

Ryou could not help but stare at the thief, his eyes totally different from what they were before. It was just as Bakura had said; the boy was truly tainted in darkness. The white-haired boy nuzzled the other, pulling him as close as possible. It felt different actually, thinking like the other. All Ryou could think of as of the moment was to basically destroy the pharaoh once and for all. He felt as if he was quickly falling into the abyss and yet, he preferred being this strong. Soon enough the boy sat up once more, a familiar grin present on his lips. True enough, his plan would take some practicing but it was not as if he had not winged stuff before, right? He caressed his thief's cheek, wondering as to how the event changed him almost completely. He parted his lips to speak, staring at the thief. He wondered if the thief noticed that the softness in his gaze left. "I am not willing to lose you again. No!" he exclaimed, shaking his head.

He shivered a little, realizing that he should put his clothes back on- or at least his boxers to keep himself warm. Yet, the place next to the thief was too nice- too addicting for him to be able to leave. The boy then did the most unexpected thing. The boy actually smirked, looking down at the said thief. Apparently, the plan he had in mind truly had something to do with the same items that destroyed Bakura's life. For a split second, Ryou actually doubted himself. Would it not be better if Bakura just moved on? Probably live with him for the rest of his life? He held onto his darkness' hand, just like what he had done with what happened in the dream. He had to do anything and everything to make his thief happy- anything to fulfill his wishes. Ryou truly did not know if he should start being selfish for himself or simply follow Bakura's wishes. Apparently, the latter one was the boy's decision.

"We still have the Ring and the Scales, am I right? Then we can easily take the pharaoh out!" he exclaimed, his hands caressing the other's side. Ah yes, little Ryou had a plan but the question was, is it really feasible to do so? Ryou smirked once more, pressing his right hand on the Millennium Ring, "I can seal his soul away. I have had my experience. But we have to take the pharaoh by surprise. That's where the scales come in. As a dark being, he will be judged as evil and he can be banished in the Shadow Realm. But first, we need to get the other items. It's still best if we wait the Puzzle to be the last thing to... Steal," he murmured, putting much emphasis on the last word. The boy's cheeks then deepened in shade, wondering if the idea was stupid or not. Maybe, he should have actually thought through it first? Maybe he should have come up with a better solution? Maybe there was something better than this.

Bakura shook his head. Ryou was getting ahead of himself, just a little, but he couldn't exactly complain about his Yadonushi's eagerness to help him reach his goal of destroying the Pharaoh. He shook his head, reaching to stroke Ryou's hair in an attempt to calm him down. "Yadonushi, shh... it's late. You don't need to think about this right now. We can decide what we're going to do tomorrow, all right?" He kissed his Hikari's forehead, then his cheeks, lips, quickly and gently, wanting nothing more than to calm him back to sleep and stop him from panicking over this. They had enough time to go over details in the morning, for days after... when they were both able to think more clearly. It was all instinct and impulse right now.

The boy shook his head, looking down at his Yami. He stared at his deep red eyes, as his lower lip started to quiver. They had to do everything just so he could stay. The question was, what would happen the moment he actually finished his mission for his darker half? Back then, the result was simple. The part of his soul can easily be erased from this Earth, as well as the pharaoh's soul. But now that the thief had an actual body what would happen? "Bakura-sama. I don't... think I can bear it if you leave again. What would happen when you call upon Zorc? The world will fall to darkness, I know the speech," he muttered, rolling his eyes at the last part. He sighed lightly before pressing his forehead against the thief's. "Tozokuoh-sama. What will happen to us then?" he whispered, biting his lower lip. His fears were slowly returning- the fear of losing someone he loved. His heart ached, just thinking that there was a possibility that he was going to lose the only person that held his sanity, "I-I'm scared. I don't know what to do. If only I didn't love you this much!" he exclaimed, collapsing on the other's chest, sobbing.

"I can't possibly lose you again, Bakura-sama! I love you too much! I love you! I love you," he said, wondering as to why he was this conflicted. Surely, his emotions should overpower his will but why is it that he wanted his Yami to be happy? Why is it that he wanted the Yami's happiness before his? _'Do you hate me for loving you, Bakura-sama?'_ he asked through the mind link, unable to speak anymore in between sobbing. His heart truly ached beyond words.

The thief fell back down, not saying anything else, as Ryou continued to speak about how he couldn't bear to part with his Yami again. Bakura reached up and placed one hand on either side of the boy's face, staring at him with wide, interested eyes. He was going over his plan in his mind, over every single detail, trying to ascertain how it would work, and what they could do to put it into action, trying to figure out all the details. But his train of thought slowed and soon came to a stop, because he had realized something: Ryou was too far gone now to be stopped in his descent. They couldn't go back now - not now, not ever. They couldn't leave each other - because as much as Ryou said it would kill him to lose Bakura, the thief had to admit that it would destroy him from the inside out as well.

"You won't lose me. Never. I won't allow it. I'm not going to die," he said, voice not even above a whisper. The Pharaoh had done too much to him to be allowed to get away - taking away everything that mattered to him, including his Hikari, despite not knowing how this would change things. He couldn't die before he got his revenge... no, until he got revenge for both of them. Himself and Ryou. How beautiful. How perfect! He thought. Surely, the death of Yuugi's other half would be a spectacular event, and would taste all the sweeter now that the reasons for it needing to come about had multiplied.

Suddenly, the thief was filled with a strange sort of rush of adrenaline. His hands seemed to move of their own accord as he gripped the metal of the Millennium Ring. Bakura's eyes were wide, fixing Ryou with a nearly manic stare as his face broke out into an unbelievably crazy grin. "I'm not going to die," he whispered again. Once more, his voice was hollow, nearly raspy, as he spoke. The way he said it, it sounded like he had some amazing revelation - an epiphany of sorts. "And neither are you. We can be together, Ryou. Forever, regardless of what happens."

He shook the Ring a little bit, causing the pointers to cling against each other and produce a noise that somehow sounded sweet and sinister - similar to the promise Bakura was offering to his Hikari. "Seal your soul into the Ring." He laughed desperately. The thief's hands shifted from where they were on the Ring to grip Ryou's own hands. "We'll destroy the Pharaoh together. We'll make him suffer for what he has done to us. We can plunge the entire world into Darkness... and create a new world. Just for us. The two of us. And we can live in it together... forever." He closed his eyes and laughed. He knew quite well how insane he sounded, and honestly, he didn't care. He couldn't deny anymore that he was in love with his Hikari. It almost hurt how much he needed Ryou now, not even just so he could defeat the Pharaoh and collect the Millennium Items.

"I've fallen for you, Ryou. Please... Seal your soul into the Ring. Stay with me... forever."

The boy kept quiet the entire time. His choked sobs slowly became minor whimpers as he clutched onto the thief. What he said was nothing but the absolute truth and both of them knew it. He truly loved Bakura with every part of him and he knew that he would not be able to live on without the other by his side. Ryou raised his head, looking at his Yami, wondering as to why Bakura was quiet for a long period of time. He was scared actually. What if he said that he did not want to be with Ryou after all? When Bakura spoke about the Millennium Ring, Ryou was just stunned in place. His grip on the other's hand tightened as he listened. His heart pounded in his chest, his gaze gaining that oh-so familiar glint and sparkle. The boy propped his body up a little, his forehead leaning on his Yami's forehead. _'I must be dreaming right, Yami-sama?'_ he thought, mostly to himself.

Part of him wished that something would pinch him as of the moment- anything to wake him up from this blissful dream. He knew that the thief would never be able to feel that way for him but at the same time, Ryou wanted this to happen. He pressed his lips against the darkness', moving so that he was technically on top of the other boy. Their bodies were pressed against each other; his leg in between the other's. After a few seconds, he took the item off of his body. He then held the Millennium Ring as well, placing his hand on top of the Bakura's. "I love you too, Bakura-sama. My thief king," he whispered before clenching tight to the Item. Ryou was actually shocked with what happened next. The Item just started glowing and like a mean vacuum cleaner, he felt as if he was being sucked inside something. He shuddered, pressing his lips against the Spirit of the Ring's.

Bakura could feel the heat radiating from the Millennium Ring as it glowed. He knew that feeling well - it was sealing something, and without a doubt, it was sealing Ryou's soul into its ancient gold. He gladly accepted the kisses he was receiving, returning them with an eagerness he usually wouldn't even think about. Neither of them was dreaming, unless somehow it was the exact same one - but the heat of the Ring and the glorious feeling of Ryou's lips on his told the Thief King otherwise.

After a few moments, he collapsed on top of Bakura. His temple was pressed against the other's ear as Ryou panted. "I hope that what I did answers your request," he whispered in between pants. He could not help but chuckle lightly. The promise of a new world was certainly good and not even the pessimistic side of Ryou could argue with that. He sighed almost exasperatedly as he tried his best to wrap his arms around the thief king. The boy then moved up a little, his breath hitting the other's ear just right. "Even if the world would crumble into pieces, nothing would separate us. I will never let them destroy you. No, Bakura. You're mine," he said sternly before pressing his lips against the other's ear. The boy then smiled before regaining the place he had at the thief's side, "I'm so excited for tomorrow then, Tozokuoh-sama! I wonder what Marik would look like when you punish him."

He wrapped his arms around the thief king's arm as he slowly drifted off to sleep. That night, no more nightmares occurred. Only sweet happy thoughts of what would happen in their world. He did not bother to check if Bakura was lying or not for even if the thief actually decided to lie about what he was feeling, Ryou did not mind. Even if Bakura only said what he did so he could easily get the items, the boy did not mind. As long as it was Bakura, everything would be alright "Mine," he whispered in his sleep, his grip tightening around the other's arm.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Yadonushi."

They settled back down, though it took Bakura some time longer than his light counterpart to slip back into the realm of sleep. He simply lay there for a while; stroking his beloved Hikari's hair out of his eyes each time it slipped to obscure them. It didn't matter, because the chocolate eyes were closed anyway, but something about the action just soothed the thief king. For some reason, he felt... content. Even though there was the ever-present feeling that he wasn't finished with what he had set out to do, for the moment, he felt content. Soon he began to wonder what, indeed, Marik would look like when he was through with the traitorous Egyptian. Maybe he didn't even have to do anything - he could just put the normal Marik back in his body and threaten him not to reveal that he was alive, and that Ryou was helping him. Or maybe he could get the Millennium Rod back and use that somehow...

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When Bakura woke up, it was to the sound of a chime of some sort. He sat up, opening his eyes (careful not to disturb his still-sleeping Hikari, of course), and just listened. Soon he could hear a door opening and closing. He was still rather groggy, so it took some time to register that someone had come in - possibly Ryou's father, but that thought was quickly thrown out of his mind as the voices from below reached the Spirit of the Ring.

"Bakura-kun! Bakura-kun, are you here? You didn't meet us this morning like you said you would! We're going to be late if we don't leave soon!" Yuugi called from downstairs. He turned to his friends, shrugging when he didn't hear an answer. "I'm going to check upstairs..." he told them. And surely enough, Bakura heard the student begin to climb the stairs.

"Shit," he hissed. Bakura began shaking Ryou awake. "Sorry, Yadonushi, but you have to wake up! The Pharaoh's little puppet is here looking for you!" He got out of the bed quickly, gathering his discarded clothing and rushing into the washroom right next door. He had to hide: Yuugi didn't know he existed right now, after all._ Hurry up and get dressed before he sees you and starts suspecting something!_

Ryou groaned the moment the warmth left his side but he made no further movements as he simply snuggled against the sheets. He was simply too tired, both physically and mentally, to even move. Eventually, he felt some random shaking. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes when his gaze fell on the frantic thief. "Are you alright, Bakura-sama? What's wro-" he suddenly stopped when he heard the sentence from the said thief king. In all actuality, his arms were already around the thief king's waist, his lips against the other's neck but he had to pull back and stare at the thief king. He listened in closely to the voices from downstairs. "How the hell did they get inside my house?" he muttered under his breath before scrambling to get on his feet. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Bakura but not before planting a kiss on his lips. The boy then grinned, pulling away as he grabbed fresh clothes.

"Good morning," he whispered as he jumped around, trying to put his boxers on. He was already panicking, trying to figure out as to where to hide the thief king- not that he wanted to, of course. Eventually, he was all dressed up in his school uniform as Ryou scrambled to get the Millennium Ring from the bed. After securing the Ring and the Eye on his person, he pulled his Yami in his arms. "I'll lock the door as fast as I can so no need to worry. You still owe me a lot, Bakura-sama. I expect payment for your rent tonight," he whispered, almost seductively as he placed a meaningful kiss and a slight nibble on the other's ear. He grabbed his bag before rushing out of his room. He was holding onto the knob and only opened the door just enough to squeeze him in. He made sure that the door was locked, shifting his gaze around to figure out where Yuugi was.

Thankfully, the boy was only on his way up, just as he had said. Ryou held onto his shirt, trying to regain the connection he had with Bakura. God knows how much he wanted to stay by his side and skip school altogether but he knew he couldn't. _'Bakura-sama, I'll be going to the museum later. Do you want to go with me?'_ he asked through the mind link, greeting the boy politely. "I'm sorry, Yuugi-kun. I must have slept in," he whispered, smiling to the best of his abilities, "Shall we go?"

When Ryou finally joined them, Yuugi's eyes went wide - even more so than usual. "Slept in? But we waited for you for almost half an hour!" He exclaimed. They had agreed to meet quite early that morning so they could go somewhere before school began. And they couldn't go after school with Ryou, because he apparently had to go to the museum. Sure, they were a little bit disappointed, but Yuugi wasn't too bothered either way. There was always another time, and besides, Ryou really did look tired. So he didn't bring it up again while they walked to school, and took his seat quietly.

The pharaoh was relentless though and it seemed as if Yami was already tapping his foot as he stared at the white-haired boy. _'Aibou, the marks around his neck increased, I think,'_ he thought, wondering as to why something felt off already. He was quite certain that there was another dark being in the white haired boy's house that morning but it was next to impossible for Ryou to hide the thief king right? But something was wrong- very wrong. He knew that the other Millennium Items were there as well. Actually, he was not certain at all but it was a good guess. Maybe, he was just sensing the Millennium Ring? Wait, why was the boy wearing the Ring now? True, Yami already eradicated all of the Thief King's soul on the said item but something still did not feel right. _'I think we should talk to him soon. I have a bad feeling about this,'_ he stated.

The boy nodded. _Yeah, I noticed it too. Didn't it seem like he was trying to hide something this morning?_ He asked his other self. _Maybe whoever has been hurting him or giving him those marks was in his room... but I'm more concerned about the Millennium Ring, if he's still wearing it._ He also had a bad feeling about this, but a large part of Yuugi was inclined to trust his friend over his own suspicions. Whatever Ryou was dealing with, he would probably tell them when he felt the time was right... wouldn't he? _Maybe you should talk to him when we get the chance..._ he suggested. _I wouldn't know what to say._

In the meantime, Bakura was just leaving Ryou's house. He had already taken a shower and cleaned up the mess they had made (most of it, anyway), but now he really needed to go out. It just felt wrong being stuck indoors all day, especially when he had things he needed to do. Now, for instance, he was on his way to his own home to retrieve a few Items, the most important of which being the Millennium Scales. He knew Marik knew where he lived, and the Egyptian had ways of getting in. He sort of doubted that Marik would even want the Scales, but Bakura would rather have been sure they were safe from the dark being's reach.

He quickly went in, got what he needed (Marik wasn't there, he was probably at school pretending to be his lighter half; Bakura silently fumed; he didn't want that man to go near his Hikari again, but they didn't exactly have much of a choice), and left. He didn't have many plans to go back there - there was nothing he needed anymore, really. Plus, it was highly doubted that Ryou wouldn't welcome him back into his house for a while - the implications that Bakura would have to stay the night weren't exactly subtle, were they? In a way, it was just like before, when he had to pay his 'rent' - only now, he could grant this particular wish.

Ryou rushed to class as well and the moment he sat on the chair, the bell rang. He sighed in relief, leaning his head on the table. _'Bakura-sama, I miss you already,'_ he thought, _'C-Can't you materialize in front of me or something? Ah! I must be going mad already!'_ He longed for the other's touch so much that it already hurt.

The thief chuckled to himself as he reached the door of Ryou's home._ I don't think I can do that anymore, Yadonushi,_ he explained._ I don't live in your mind, so I can't be where you are all the time._ _Besides, if I showed up there now, everyone would be able to see me. Then what would happen? _He didn't even need to make a suggestion about what might come if he showed up. Yuugi and his friends would freak out, try to separate them, possibly even banish Bakura to the Shadows again. Not that he couldn't get out, and besides, he had a part of his soul inside the Millennium Ring again, so it would be no problem coming back. But he didn't know if that would mean sacrificing the body he had somehow managed to get a hold of. If it did, it would have its consequences on not just him, but on Ryou too.

Ryou groaned a little as he shifted in his seat. Through lunch, the white-haired boy was quiet. He just listened to the others talk as he fidgeted in his seat. His back side hurt. His legs felt wobbly. He could have sworn that he was getting a fever but he did not want to over think it. He sighed lightly, biting his lower lip, _'My butt hurts,'_ he said through the mind link, his cheeks deepening in color. He preferred not to talk about his love bites and other markings on him, mostly because he might end up slipping up and say the real cause of the said marks. _'But I would gladly do it with you all over again. Not like you have a choice on that, Kura-sama,'_ he said through the mind link, laughing a little under his breath. This caused their blonde friend to look up, tilting his head to the side as he stared at the white-haired boy. Why did Ryou suddenly laugh when the punch line to his joke wasn't there yet?

Hearing the other's thoughts, Bakura couldn't help but laugh to himself. _You shouldn't have insisted we do it, then. Or at least have asked me to be gentler,_ he scolded playfully. Such were the consequences of having such a relationship, it seemed, and to be fair, they _had_ done it right after Marik had forced himself on Ryou. He had been bleeding from many cut wounds when Bakura had found him, after all - the pain was inevitable, it seemed._ Ah_, he remembered well the aches and pains his Yadonushi would get from time to time, often because he had been busy either in Ryou's mind or out of it when they had shared a body. He quite often came home at night with wounds and left Ryou to suffer through what he thought was too trivial to bother taking away. It had made carrying around painkillers necessary, even if it was just for a headache when the Spirit spoke too much._ Take a painkiller,_ he suggested. _You still keep some in your bag with you, right?_

"Don't get ahead of me, Bakura! I was not even there yet! As I was saying, what do you call a pig who knows karate? PORK CHOP!" he exclaimed, laughing heartily as all of the friendship crew stared up at Jounouchi. Ryou snapped out of his thought before laughing in a rather awkward manner. Not once did he make eye contact with Marik, who was busy creating holes on the other's forehead. The stare that the Egyptian made was not exactly a glare but more of a relentless stare. Of course, Ryou was really uneasy throughout lunch to the point that he was thanking all the gods the moment the bell rang. "Bakura? We should talk. Classes are off tomorrow, right? Can we meet up with each other since you're going to the museum today?" Yami asked, momentarily taking over of his partner's body.

Ryou quickly nodded, biting his lower lip. _'Bakura-sama, I'm going to meet with the pharaoh tomorrow. Preparations must be made. I-I didn't know what to say so I just said yes,'_ he said through their mind link. Ryou noticed the sudden shift in tone when the pharaoh took over and just like a kid scolded by a grown-up, the white-haired boy could only nod. The boy gathered his stuff, making sure he rushed out of the table. His attempts to escape earlier were apparently crushed the moment he felt a grip on his shoulder. "Hikari, you should not avoid so much. Apparently, fluffy knows what I did to you now, did he? But I can tell that he did something as well," he whispered, making sure that only Ryou could hear him at that point in time. "All you have to remember is that I can easily get back from the Shadows. I will find a way to get back here so even if your Bakura would banish me to the Shadow Realm, I will be back," the Egyptian hissed before releasing the boy.

_'Maybe, we can seal his soul too, Bakura-sama? Why is it that we have too much enemies all at the same time? Why can't they just drop dead?'_ he thought, mostly to himself as he thought of the plan regarding the Millennium Necklace. In truth, the boy kept this thought away from Bakura. He wanted the Millennium Tauk's acquisition to be a surprise to the thief. Maybe he would get an incentive for getting the said item. He shook his head a little, blushing once more. Why was he thinking of the thief even more- in very provocative images, if he may add? Said habit was truly making the pharaoh really curious. _'I think that there's something wrong with Bakura. I have reasons to believe that the thief is back. Be on your guard, Aibou. The Spirit of the Ring would go after us soon. As much as it hurts, Yuugi, I don't think you can trust your friend for now,'_ he said through the mind link, cringing a little. He just asked the most trusting person on this planet to stop trusting his friend. But from the pharaoh's point of view, it can't be helped.

When Yuugi heard his Yami's voice, he frowned, looking genuinely sad. He knew that his other self was right, but that didn't mean he was happy about this at all. He generally liked Ryou, even if the white-haired student could be a bit odd at times. He was good at heart, just lonely. And he was fun, and kind... it hurt to think that they couldn't trust him. Yuugi didn't even want to tell his friends this news. _Other Me... You tell the others what you think, all right? But make sure they don't do anything too sudden, like accuse him. I do believe you, but... I still want to believe in him. Maybe he's just confused right now..._ he shook his head. No, he couldn't make excuses for his friend if there really was something going on. If the Spirit of the Ring had come back... then this was not good for anybody.

Ryou eventually went to class, slumping down on his seat once more. The boy winced for a quick moment, preferring a soft seat cushion over the hard wood beneath him. He sighed almost exasperatedly, as he bit his lower lip. _'Yami-sama, you should eat lunch soon,'_ he thought, blushing deeply, _'T-The fridge has your favorite food. S-Steak.'_ Now, Ryou did not like steak at all. He would prefer softer foods, sandwiches and all that but not steak. He actually wondered himself as to why he kept buying steak for the past months, when he did not eat them. Ryou would simply throw them away and restock on steak the moment he bought food. He smiled, leaning his cheek on the palm of his hands. Now, he understood why his 'mind' did that. It was simply doing the habit he had when Bakura still inhabited his body. After all, Bakura really loved his steak, right?

Sure enough, when Bakura opened the fridge, he found some steaks wrapped up. Just as Ryou had said. He wondered vaguely why they were there, seeing as he didn't remember the boy ever really liking meat much. He preferred sweets. Bakura wasn't hungry at the moment, but he would definitely come back later to have them._ I'm not very good at cooking_; he admitted more to himself than to Ryou. As appalling as some might have thought it was, the thief was actually all right with raw meat. He was just used to it. Though he did like it cooked usually, he always had liked it on the rare side. But that was probably because of how things were done when he was alive in Egypt.

_We can seal his soul if you want_, he said. _But I want to have a bit more fun with him first. We both could, you know... _he trailed off, nearly suggestively, but it was more to intrigue Ryou than anything else. He didn't want to do anything suggestive with Marik; he just wanted to hurt him in the worst way possible. But that was hard for someone who liked receiving pain as much as he did bestowing it. For now, he checked the clock. If he left now, he would be able to meet Ryou when he got to the museum. The thief set off.

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 10**

"Took you long enough," he muttered, standing behind Bakura as he wrapped his arms around the said boy. He knew that he should not be all touchy-feely in public but he just could not help but gravitate towards the said thief. It was as if there was a force pulling them to each other. The boy planted a kiss on the back of his neck before placing a particular trinket around Bakura's neck. The metal itself felt cold against his fingertips but Ryou did not mind. He let the tip of his right forefinger graze against the skin beneath the Millennium Tauk before facing the thief king. He smiled before blushing deeply. The whole scene seemed perfect to the brown-eyed boy- after all the idea of him giving something to Bakura was a couple-like thing. True, Bakura said that he loved the boy but he was not sure if he was supposed to give him a conventional gift or something so he decided to simply get one of the things that his love wanted.

"I hope that you really like it. It was really hard for me to get. So if you don't like it, I will decapitate your beautiful head," he said with a curt laugh. He leaned his head against the other's shoulder, smiling and blushing. He knew that the thief would at least appreciate the gesture. He did not tell the other of his plan so he hoped that Bakura would be surprised at the very least. Ryou bit his lower lip before hugging the thief tight for a split second before letting go. "I expect double the rent for this, Tozokuoh-sama," he smiled, planting a soft kiss on his lips before retaining the stern look on his face. "We need to prepare. Marik will be here soon. We have to probably move to another location with Marik though. The effect on Ishizu will only last for a couple more hours and I somehow have that feeling that a couple of hours is not enough for you, is it Bakura-sama?" he asked, grinning.


	10. Forgiveness is Overrated

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Reviews make us as happy as kids with bendy straws. More Reviews = Faster Updates. Yes, that's the writers write. :3

Chapter 10 is finally up! PLEASE ENJOY!

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

**Chapter Warning: **Character Death if you can Call it that.

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**Chapter 10:** Forgiveness is Overrated.

Yami placed a leg on top of the other as he looked at the friendship crew, seriousness very evident on his face. "Yuugi and I have been discussing this and we have the need to tell you guys about what we should do with Bakura. We have evidence that proves that the Spirit of the Ring is back," he muttered, glaring at no particular object. He shook his head lightly before trying to think of a reason as to why their friend would keep this from him. _'Though I am not sure if he still inhabits Ryou's body. Maybe if we get rid of the Millennium Ring, we can get rid of the Spirit. We should've taken the item from him, Aibou,'_ he said through their mind link as he tried to figure out the reason as to why Ryou would be quiet about it. "Normally, Bakura would not keep this from us. I have a feeling that it is not our friend that inhabits that body but instead, it's the spirit of the ring inhabiting Bakura's body. It's the only reason as to why Bakura has not told us yet," he said. If only the pharaoh knew how wrong he was then maybe he would feel like an idiot as of the moment.

"No way!" Anzu exclaimed, lifting a hand to her mouth in disbelief. She had truly believed that the Spirit of the Ring was gone... but then again, when had he ever really been gone? Every time he was defeated or banished, he had managed to come back. It wasn't surprising that it would happen again - why wouldn't it? He was a thief. He had to be able to get out of stressful situations; it was how he had survived all this time. She looked at her feet sadly. Though she didn't know it, she was feeling exactly the same way as Yuugi was.

Said boy listened sadly from next to his body, just an invisible specter form. He didn't want to believe it still and the looks on his Yami's and his friends' faces was killing him. That they couldn't trust their friend anymore... he felt awful. And it looked as if Jounouchi and Honda were getting angry, or ready to do something drastic. He shook his Yami's shoulder. _"Make sure they don't do anything! We don't know for sure, do we? I don't want them to do anything they'll regret if we're wrong!"_

Yami was torn. He was on the brink of deciding that they should simply get rid of Ryou's body. Heck, a sacrifice of one is better instead of having everyone killed off, right? He shook his head, knowing that his partner would greatly disapprove of his plans. The pharaoh simply agreed to Yuugi's plan. After all, they were not sure that the Spirit was fully back. "Jounouchi, Honda, Calm down. We're not sure yet. Besides, Bakura's safety should still be our priority," he muttered, even though he did not want to tell others that. No, the pharaoh's priority was not the white-haired boy's safety at all. His top priority was to get rid of the Spirit of the Ring- to the point that it was not necessary to have Ryou around anymore. With Ryou around, he was not completely assured that nothing would harm him or any of his friends.

* * *

His heart was pounding in his chest as he leaned against the wall. He was clutching onto something at hand, trying his best to calm himself down. He still cannot believe that he just finished the said deed. He has not even imagined that he would have enough courage to do it but he did. He raised his head as the doors of the museum opened, revealing his sexy white-haired thief. Ryou could not help but smirk the moment he saw Bakura, making his way towards him. He shifted his gaze from side to side before concluding that the other workers were in different wings. Taking his hand out of his pocket, he grabbed the other's hands and pulled him towards a more secluded place- the place where all the scrolls were. Ryou knew that the said part of the museum was the part that no one goes to. It would be safe to converse with the thief king there.

"Took you long enough," he muttered, standing behind Bakura as he wrapped his arms around the said boy. He knew that he should not be all touchy-feely in public but he just could not help but gravitate towards the said thief. It was as if there was a force pulling them to each other. The boy planted a kiss on the back of his neck before placing a particular trinket around Bakura's neck. The metal itself felt cold against his fingertips but Ryou did not mind. He let the tip of his right forefinger graze against the skin beneath the Millennium Tauk before facing the thief king. He smiled before blushing deeply. The whole scene seemed perfect to the brown-eyed boy- after all the idea of him giving something to Bakura was a couple-like thing. True, Bakura said that he loved the boy but he was not sure if he was supposed to give him a conventional gift or something so he decided to simply get one of the things that his love wanted.

"I hope that you really like it. It was really hard for me to get. So if you don't like it, I will decapitate your beautiful head," he said with a curt laugh. He leaned his head against the other's shoulder, smiling and blushing. He knew that the thief would at least appreciate the gesture. He did not tell the other of his plan so he hoped that Bakura would be surprised at the very least. Ryou bit his lower lip before hugging the thief tight for a split second before letting go. "I expect double the rent for this, Tozokuoh-sama," he smiled, planting a soft kiss on his lips before retaining the stern look on his face. "We need to prepare. Marik will be here soon. We have to probably move to another location with Marik though. The effect on Ishizu will only last for a couple more hours and I somehow have that feeling that a couple of hours is not enough for you, is it Bakura-sama?" he asked, grinning.

Bakura smirked when he saw his Yadonushi, holding out his hand to be led along to wherever Ryou was taking him. He wasn't about to argue with the boy, not when he looked so... enthusiastic. The thief licked his lips: now this was something he could enjoy. Ryou could be forceful when he wanted to, and Bakura couldn't say he didn't like this side of him. Even if he wanted to see his precious Hikari's face, he could wait, if only because that kiss to the back of his neck sent shills down his spine. He felt something cold come against his skin and shuddered. What was...?_ Oh._ His eyes went wide, and he laughed as a hand came up to touch the metal eye of the Millennium Tauk. "Well, well... where did you get this, Ryou?" He asked coyly. As if Bakura didn't already know. But he was curious as to how he got this so quickly. Had he done something to that Egyptian woman, or did he just manage to persuade her somehow? "Or rather... how did you get it?" He asked._ But,_ Bakura supposed, _it doesn't matter either way. I have it now. We have it now._

"How violent. You're making me cringe, Yadonushi," Bakura teased. He turned the boy around and kissed him deeply, pulling away only when he felt he absolutely had to._ "Don't worry, I'm thrilled. But I can't help but wonder what you would do with my head if you were to cut it off." _He laughed and tugged at Ryou's hair so that he could go in for another kiss. No, hours probably wouldn't be enough for him. He felt like a starved man being presented with a fine meal: he would never be able to get enough of Ryou no matter how much he had.

Ryou looked held the Millennium Ring in his hands now, thinking of Marik as the pointers started to move. Eventually, it was already pointing towards the door. "Marik will be here soon," he whispered, holding his hands for a split moment. In truth, he's really scared of what's to come today. He knew that his Yami could easily take care of him- easily protect him when the need comes. He bit her lower lip. "What's the plan, Bakura-sama?" he asked, gulping a little. He did not doubt Bakura's creativity when it comes to giving out punishments. He's one of the most creative people when it comes to torture and over all pain but at the same time, he wanted to be in it too. He wanted Marik to feel the pain- to feel as if he wanted to die already. The idea that the Egyptian would beg for his life was something that Ryou wanted to happen. The moment he does the said begging, he knew that the white-haired thief would not let him off easy. He will die slowly and painfully.

When he heard that Marik was coming, Bakura nodded. He closed his eyes, trying to picture what he was going to do to the Egyptian, when something else came over him. Though Bakura couldn't see it due to his eyes being closed, the Millennium Tauk was glowing. He was getting a glimpse of something... it was dark, but there were small lights - three of them, plus three shadows - and a familiar shape... and then it was gone. The thief opened his eyes, somehow knowing what to do.

"We're going to play a game, of course," he told Ryou. The thief had planned a game all along, but he knew how to ensure their victory now, and how to hide the consequences of it. "But first we have to leave... lead Marik out of here, to somewhere fairly secluded. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to have Ishizu with us, either. Just as... you know... insurance." He tilted his head to the side, smirking darkly and lifting his hands to rest behind Ryou's neck. "Do you think you can get her for me? I can take care of Marik for the time being."

The boy could not help but laugh the moment Bakura simply rode on his line of jokes. "Oh I have a few good ideas on what to do with your head, Yami-sama," he muttered, pulling the other one close. He did not want to let go but Ryou knew he could always enjoy his presence when they reach his house, well technically, their house. It was not as if Ryou would let Bakura out of his sight. The boy shook his head, pressing a finger against the other boy's lips. "It's a secret for now, love. It's not as creative as yours, Yami-sama. I had to do with what I have," he said, shrugging lightly. Ryou did not know any shadow magic and he did not want to delve into those kinds of things. He preferred to use his head and simply use whatever's around him to get what he wanted. The boy took the finger off of the other's lips, sighing as he listened to the other's plans.

"Shadow Game," he whispered, shaking his head. He knew that the thief king lost to Marik once before and that was a very annoying experience indeed. His Yami had been banished to the Shadow Realm for quite some time but he eventually did come back. Ryou gripped on the other's hand once more, glaring at his darkness now, "If you lose, I shall make sure that I'll go get you to hit you on the head," he muttered. Of course, the boy would do everything in his power to simply get him back. Ryou was, of course, slightly kidding about hitting the Yami on the head but his voice was stern. Ryou moved closer to his Yami, pressing his lips against the darkness, "I just need to remember that taste in my system. I'm not kidding, Kura-sama. You do taste good. I just want more of you," he whispered, lips nearing his neck. He parted his lips to take a bite on the other's neck but at the last second stopped himself and simply placed a soft kiss on one of his bites. Ryou then tightened his hold before releasing Bakura.

Bakura nodded solemnly. "Yes, a Shadow Game." How else was he going to do this? He loved playing these risky games, even when it went so far as to bet his own life. It wasn't like he could die, and he had escaped it before, many times. Almost too many to count. But this was a game he would not lose - he had planned out all the details and had even rigged the rules in a sense. There was no way Marik could best him this time - he didn't have a secret weapon this time, and Bakura was not going to rely on anyone. Not even Ryou. No, he needed Ryou for this game.

Ryou turned, rolling his eyes at the technical demand from his thief king. He knew that Bakura was right. Ishizu had to be near in case they need to dispose of her properly. "I'll just get her," he muttered. After a few moments, he was back with something, better yet, someone slung on his shoulder. Ryou was not really the strongest person in the world but he was strong enough to carry an unconscious Ishizu on his shoulder. The boy placed her on the floor, leaning her body against the wall before shrugging. "Sleeping Pills. I had her take some sleeping pills- a little more than normal so she should be out for a while," he said simply before grinning. _'I was given sleeping pills a few weeks after you left,'_ he explained but he did not say anything other than that. He knew that Bakura would understand as to why he could not sleep.

He was rather impressed with the idea of sleeping pills, though he did feel a bit of misplaced guilt at hearing what the reason for Ryou having them was. It wasn't his fault that Ryou couldn't sleep this time; hell, he hadn't been around to sneak out using their body at night and hadn't been messing with the boy's dreams. It must have impacted him emotionally in some way to cause a change in his sleeping patterns. As for Bakura, well, he couldn't lose sleep. A soul didn't exactly need sleep to survive, and it was dangerous to do something like that while in the Shadow Realm - anything could appear at any time and simply devour what was left of you.

Ryou simply smiled at him afterwards, "I think I can lead Marik out of here. I think I can run pretty fast. How about a fake chase?" he asked, gripping on the other's hand once more. He knew that there was a possibility that Bakura would not allow Ryou to risk himself like that but the boy knew they had to do something to get Marik's attention. "I'll contact you when I have any problems?" The boy turned to leave, hesitating at first. His hesitation was not out of fear or anything like that. His hesitation was due to Bakura's reaction. He turned his head a little, looking at the thief king. "Are you okay with that plan, Koi?" The boy choked a little, biting his lower lip. What the hell was he thinking, calling Bakura 'koi'? He was already pushing the envelope with the "My Thief King". Ryou looked down, blushing deeply, "I-I meant to say Bakura-sama."

"There's no need to stage a chase, Yadonushi," Bakura assured the boy. He caressed the side of Ryou's face, narrowing his eyes almost seductively. "We can just bring the woman to wherever we decide to go for this game and come back for Marik when she shows signs of waking up. There's no rush, after all." He could think of quite a few fun things they could do in the meantime, while they waited for either Ishizu to wake up or for Marik to arrive at the 'arena' for their Shadow Game.

He took the lead, giving Ryou a quick kiss and tilting Ishizu's head up for a moment to make sure she really was out cold and not dead. She was still breathing, fortunately (_For now_, Bakura added mentally). He had to say, he was impressed. They now had four out of the seven Millennium Items... and soon they would have the fifth. Getting Yuugi's Puzzle wouldn't be too hard. It was Shadi they had to worry about... how could they get a hold of him and take that Key away from him? It didn't matter right now, because they would have it soon.

After a few minutes they arrived at a secluded area that would work well for the Shadow Game. Nobody was around, and it was significantly dark despite it still being daylight outside. It would have worked best if they were doing this under the moonlight, but given that Ishizu was still out cold, it might have to wait until night fell after all. Bakura put his hands in his pockets, looking to the sky and laughing quietly. All was as it should be to set the stage for the Shadow Game that was to come.

Ryou yawned a little as he moved closer to the body next to him. They had been waiting for Marik to arrive for a good three hours now and Ryou was too tired of waiting. He had urged the thief king to sit for a while with him. Soon enough, the boy was already sitting on the thief's lap, nipping and biting at every exposed spot. Needless to say, part of Bakura's rent was paid by the end of three hours. The boy was happy that the sleeping pills worked its magic, despite Ryou's screams of delight. He fixed the other's shirt, raising his head upon the sudden noise. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, regaining his breath by now. "Bakura-sama," he whispered, hand trembling a little. He knew what the sound meant and even after the thief promised that the game would surely be their win, Ryou was still scared. He was not willing to lose Bakura. Not now, not ever.

The moon was already smiling at them when the steps slowed down and eventually halted. The boy stood up, watching the flickering spotlight caused by the almost burnt out street lamp. Ryou hung his head low, pulling the thief up. Soon enough, a familiar Egyptian stepped inside the spotlight, cocking his head to the side. The smirk was still plastered on his face as he looked at the two white-haired boys in genuine amusement. "Your Hikari sure does go around," he said haughtily as he brought out the Millennium Rod. He took the blade out of its holster, making sure that Bakura caught sight of the dried crimson residue on the blade. "He was screaming at the top of his lungs- begging for me to stop. But I was relentless. He looks good when he's in pain, don't you think so, Bakura?" With that, he licked the blade; his dark violet eyes fell on the white-haired Hikari.

Ryou cringed as he heard the story coming from Marik himself. Damn that Egyptian! He actually sounded happy- exhilarated with what he did. "Tozokuoh-sama," he whispered, more as a reassurance to himself that the thief king was still beside him. The boy raised his hand, wanting to touch the said tomb robber but he retracted it at the last moment. Instead, he made his way towards Marik; eyes looking stern before his fist made contact with the tan boy's cheek. It did not make any shocking difference for Marik was still smirking away! Sure, it made him recoil a little but if it did anything else, it made Marik laugh as he shook his head. Ryou glared at him, wishing he could do something to wipe that proud smirk off of his face. "Let's see if you would still smirk if you're banished to the Shadow Realm," he hissed threateningly, almost sounding like his Yami. "I told you, Hikari. Even if you banish me there a thousand times, I'll-" "Then I'll banish you there a thousand times more!" he exclaimed, slightly growling at the same time.

Marik could not help but glare at the light's statement. Those kinds of comments and irritated glares would usually come from the thief. The boy would usually cower in fear behind Bakura, clutching to him like there was no tomorrow. But here he was, hissing and attacking the tomb keeper. Seeing Ryou like this truly made him widen his eyes in delight. Oh how he loved seeing the boy all worked up like this. Marik glanced at the thief, raising a brow when he realized that he was also angry but Ryou was obviously more irritated than the said Yami. He shrugged a little, "Since it looks like you already have the game in mind, let's up the stakes shall we? Whoever wins will get to stay here, while the one who loses would be banished in the Shadow Realm- never to be heard from again," he said, smirking. If Bakura would truly be gone forever, then the white-haired Hikari would simply be distraught and of course, the Egyptian would be there to take advantage of the situation, "I swear to Rah that I will not return if you beat me- that is, if you win," he said, smirking. He did not care as to what kind of game the thief had in mind. There was no way he would lose.

Bakura stood up as Ryou pulled him, smirking with satisfaction until he heard the footsteps. His expression clouded for a moment then he let out a short laugh and just waited for Marik to speak first. What he heard enraged him, but he managed to suppress it just enough that it didn't show on his face and didn't resonate around him. Unfortunately, Ryou hadn't done the same. He was a little bit surprised when the boy punched Marik in the face, but it didn't make much of a difference. Just as he had predicted, Marik already was prepared for this Shadow Game.

The thief laughed, turning on his heel and bending down to lift up a bag he had brought with him. In it were the few things he would need for the game they were going to play. "I like those terms," he said. "But you shouldn't be too confident." He laughed quietly and reached into his bag, pulling out two candles in small stands. They weren't large - just big enough to be seen. One was dark red and the other one yellow. Bakura set one in front of Marik and the other in front of himself, gesturing for the blond Egyptian to sit down. He waited until Marik had done so before turning to Ryou.

"I'll need the Ring to play this game," he said calmly. Bakura's expression was serious now, not at all cocky. He was getting ready for the game. "I didn't bring an Item with me. The Tauk isn't enough just yet." He needed one to start the Shadow Game... and besides that, the Millennium Ring was the one with the power he needed right now. He allowed Ryou to take said Item off and hand it to him, and when it was in the Thief's hands, he draped the cord over his neck, letting the weight soothe him slightly. The metal was warm, responding to him. He smirked: everything was falling perfectly into place.

The Millennium Ring let out a small glow as Bakura reached into his bag again. He touched something, seemed to think about pulling it out, but in the end didn't do anything about it. He then cast the bag aside, having done what he had meant to do. Soon the Shadows were forming around them: the Shadow Game had begun.

Bakura moved to sit in front of his own candle, both of which had lit seemingly on their own. He was grinning as if this entire thing was incredibly amusing to him. In a way, it was: he knew he was going to win and thus everything that played out before him would simply be entertainment. Hopefully it would be for Ryou as well as himself.

"I'm sure you're just dying to find out what the rules of this game are, hm?" He asked. Nothing had officially begun yet, since the rules were yet to be stated. "Let's see... this is a game about concentration, keeping your composure. Each of us has a candle in front of us. Every time you lose your focus, the candle will flicker. Every single emotion you feel has to be kept under control... just one outburst, and the candle will go out. When the flame dies... so will you." He sat back, crossing his arms and smirking. Bakura had already ensured his victory, so it wouldn't hurt to reveal something else about his game. "Ah, and before I forget, you don't have to remain sitting the entire time. You can feel free to move about, try and knock me off my guard. It won't do you any good, but I wouldn't mind seeing what you can come up with. It might be... fun."

Bakura laughed again, narrowing his eyes dangerously. All the pieces were in place now: Marik's sister was here... and so was the real Marik. That was the key to winning this shadow game. He doubted he would need either of them, but it was good to have this 'insurance' if the Game lasted longer than expected. But for now, all Bakura had to do was wait.

Ryou could not help but feel reluctant to part with the said item but when Bakura stressed the fact that he needed it for the game, the boy simply agreed. He sat behind Bakura, watching his surroundings change as well the moment they entered the Shadow Game. He listened intently to the rules of the game, making sure that he did everything to assure the victory of his dark side. He looked at Marik, who seemed to be enjoying the rules as much as Bakura did. His eyes relaxed a little, taking in a deep breath. If it was a game of concentration, Ryou should start focusing as well. After all, if he did something wrong or even think of anything wrong then it might tip the scale to the other side, resulting to their loss. Ryou could not help but furrow his eyebrows in thought. His darkness said that they should focus- keep their composure if you must- but he did not say on what.

_'Aren't the rules a little vague?'_ he asked through the mind link but not saying anything more than that. Ryou clenched his fist and when he looked up; he saw that Marik was smirking at him. He fidgeted a little, totally uncomfortable from the stare. He bit his lower lip, fixating his gaze on Bakura's back. He started to stare at him, blushing deeply at random moments as his thoughts start to wander. After a while, he shook his head, noticing that neither of their candles was flickering at all. Ryou sighed a little, knowing that this game could take hours or even days. He stood up, making his way towards Marik. _'I think I can do something,'_ he said through the mind link, wrapping his arms around the tan boy. His tongue left his mouth, grazing it along the tan boy's neck. With that single motion, Marik's candle started to flicker.

Yami no Marik could not help but glare at the white-haired Hikari at the motion. He tugged on the boy's hand before pressing him against the floor. The tan boy could not help but grin, looking at his opponent before taking at the Millennium Rod. The blade was immediately placed against the white-haired boy's neck, causing Ryou to widen his eyes. He wanted to suppress his grin, looking at Marik's candle and noticing that it was flickering like crazy- as if fighting against a strong wind current or something. He was totally relaxed beneath him, simply smiling back at the Egyptian. Marik furrowed his eyebrows in thought, "I can kill you right now if I want to, Hikari," he said with a growl, pressing the blade even more against the boy's neck. "Show some originality, Marik. You've done worse things before,"

Ryou shifted a little beneath him, catching the Egyptian off guard as he pushed him off. "Bakura-sama will win this battle and judging from the looks of your candle, it would not be too long 'till that happens," he said- his voice almost emotionless. The boy gulped a little as Marik proceeded to sitting down in front of the candle once more. Marik tried his best to remain his focus but once in a while, he would look at the white-haired boy and then back to the candle. Ryou could not help but smile, moving in between the two candles as he looked at his darkness. _'What can I do to help, Yami-sama?'_ he asked, now staring at his hands. He was just sitting down, trying his best to lessen his panting. Ryou scratched his head, looking at Marik once more and realizing that the candle was not as stable as it was when the game started.

Bakura knew the questions would come, but he was expecting them more from Marik than from Ryou._ No. I explained everything that needs to be explained. This Game is about keeping your emotions under control, nothing else. Your mind is free to wander as long as you don't get excited over anything._ And that was the entire point of him preparing this - he knew how to press Marik's buttons: if he couldn't get the Yami excited or scared, he would just have to manipulate the Hikari.

He laughed. "You might want to calm down, Marik," he teased, gaze flicking to the candle's wavering light. "I'm not even playing yet. I thought you'd have done something by now - squirm a little bit more, at least!" He laughed again, seemingly getting excited, but his candle did not waver. Although Bakura was able to act as if he were falling too far into the realm of his emotion, his mind was clear and focused. So much so that the flame was completely still.

As he had thought, Ryou was making an attempt to tip the balance in their favor. It was unnecessary, but if they could win this without resorting to Bakura's real plan, then that was almost better. He couldn't say he liked the method, though. _He enjoys feeling pain more than anything,_ he said. _Almost as much as inflicting it. If you have to excite him, hurt him, don't please him. _It wasn't fun watching _his_ Ryou try to stimulate their opponent like that. Still, Bakura's mind was focused enough that the candle didn't flicker. The only movement it made was small, when Marik threatened to harm his Hikari. But thankfully the Egyptian was too focused on Ryou to notice what it had done, so it looked as if the candle had remained steady as ever the entire time.

_If you want to help... Bring me that woman,_ Bakura told his Hikari, obviously referring to Ishizu. The thief waited until the woman's unconscious body was brought over to him, then took her and put his arm around her waist to hold her up. He was smirking at Marik deviously, showing that he obviously had something planned. "You shouldn't have touched my Hikari like that," he hissed. "For doing that to him... you're going to lose, right now."

Reaching into his pocket, Bakura found his knife and pulled it out, flicking the blade to shine in the dim candlelight. He laughed darkly and placed the blade to Ishizu's neck, eyes never leaving Marik's. He knew the Yami wouldn't care if he were to slit the woman's throat, but there was someone who would. Marik himself - the Hikari. Bakura had brought the figurine with the Egyptian's soul in it along just for this game, and while he had been going through his bag, had released said soul back into its original body. There were two minds within Marik's body again - this time, it was the Yami that was in control. But if the true Marik had been able to maintain control for most of his life... then a simple stimulation to his emotions would be enough to put him back in control.

Beneath his fingertips, Bakura could feel the woman stirring. She was waking up, and when she was a little more aware of herself, the thief pressed the blade closer to her neck. He chuckled at the gasp he heard coming from her throat. "Quiet down, woman. If you move at all, this knife is going through your throat."

Bakura looked back up to the Yami facing him, trying to read his expression. It wasn't hard. "Your sister, right Marik? At my mercy. I could kill her at any second, and there's nothing you can do about it." He waited, eyes flicking to the candle. The entire game was riding on the real Marik's emotions, his desperation coming out... it was certain to work.

And when it did, the Yami would be sealed away again... forever.

Ryou could not help but blush, rolling his eyes as he brought Ishizu to his darker half. His eyes darkened a little the moment Bakura pulled her into his grasp. He was supposed to be the only one that close to Bakura and just the mere thought that there was someone near to him as Ryou was before, it just made his blood boil. His mind was now fighting with his emotions. True, the thief was starting to get overprotective with Ryou but it was obvious that his goal came first. His eyes reflected the confusion in his heart. What was he to Bakura? Did he lie when he said that he has fallen for Ryou? Was everything a lie just so he could get the Hikari's trust or something? One way or the other, it was a cruel joke to play on the said white-haired kid. If this was but a simple plan, why did the thief king ask him to seal his soul in the Millennium Ring?

His thoughts were pushed aside the moment he was placed in the same predicament as Ishizu. Marik's eyes were wide open, the familiar blade pressed against the paler boy's neck. _'Seriously. Stop threatening to kill me. If you're going to do something, might as well just take my light right then and there,'_ he thought, rolling his eyes. He grew tired of playing the victim in this 'game' that was unfolding right before his eyes. If only he had the strength to actually fight back- His thoughts were immediately pushed aside as a small plan started to conjure up in his head. At that same moment, Marik's candle started to flicker drastically, Marik's hand shaking in rage and slight fear. "Let go of my sister or I will kill your Hikari!" he exclaimed, pressing the blade a little deeper this time.

The said act caused Ryou to choke a little, leaning against the Egyptian's touch. He raised his head a little, watching the Egyptian to panic in fear. At that moment, he slid his hand inside his pocket, grasping on the Millennium Eye. His plan was flawed, obviously. Even if he was to seal the souls of both Marik and Ishizu, he was still unable to get rid of their bodies. He shook his head, realizing that they could only win through Bakura's plans. "Marik, no matter what happens, your sister will die. Your sister will die before you and you can't do anything," Ryou whispered, trying to figure out as to how he can get the other Marik to give in. The said Egyptian pressed against him, blood trickling down his pale neck. "Release her!" Marik exclaimed, the candle flickering for the last time. Oddly enough the other candle also died after a few seconds- possibly meaning that Bakura's emotions flared as well. The clouds started to disappear and it did not take long before Ryou jabbed the Egyptian's jaw before grabbing the Millennium Rod from him.

He waved the Rod a little, as if knowing by nature as to how to use it. Marik's eyes dimmed for a second as Ryou whispered something to the tan boy. "Sleep now, Marik. You shall only wake up when I tell you to," he muttered, watching the boy go limp in his grasp. Grabbing Ishizu from the former thief king, Ryou simply did a similar gesture, tossing her near the other body. Ryou raised his head before placing the Millennium Rod and Eye in the tomb robber's hold, "Five down, two more to go," he whispered in an apathetic tone. Questions swirled inside his head. Why did Bakura's candle go off as well? Was he not keeping composure the entire time? He shook his head a little, _'Maybe it died because the game was over, Ryou. Stop dwelling too much on it,'_ he scolded himself as he hung his head low. Something inside him was contented with what Bakura was willing to offer to him but at the same time, he was not content with feeling this anxious. After all, it was not possible for the tomb robber to fall for him, right? No, especially not Ryou.

Bakura hadn't bothered slitting the woman's throat. She had fallen unconscious again, possibly from fear, but it was more likely she was still feeling the effects of the sleeping pills. He didn't care in the least when she was cast aside with Marik - in fact, he liked it better that way. Now Marik's darker half was gone forever - presumably, but there was still the chance he could find his way back again (Bakura had, dozens of times at least) - and the real Marik was sleeping now, too, until they decided he would be of use. To be honest, Bakura was surprised that the Egyptian so readily succumbed to the powers of the Millennium Rod: he had owned it before, had he not? Surely he would have had some resistance to it, right?

It didn't matter, though. They would be able to tell whether or not he was faking by the link that the Egyptian himself had set up not long ago. In all possible ways, Marik had sealed his own fate with them. The thought made Bakura laugh - it was ironic, how much Marik tried to resist them and fight them, when in the end he had been the one to ensure that he himself couldn't.

Bakura took the Items that Ryou held out for him, setting them down beside him, far enough away that if either of the Egyptians were feigning sleep they couldn't grab them without being noticed. And, as he promised, he took the Millennium Ring back from around his neck and draped it back over Ryou's. Where it belonged... for now.

"You were amazing," he whispered, leaning close and pressing his forehead against his Hikari's, placing his hands on either side of the boy's face to hold him gently. "You are amazing." He couldn't even begin to describe his wonder at the person he was gazing at. How Ryou was able to do something like this so effectively, with so little regret... he was changing. He was no longer the weak child that had been plagued by a Spirit he had never wanted to have. Sure, he had fought then, but he had never done enough to get rid of Bakura. Probably because he had never actually wanted to get rid of the Spirit, and yet...

The thief pulled Ryou closer, kissing him deeply. He remained there for a few moments, hoping to get his meaning across (though he wasn't sure what meaning that was, really), and when he finally pulled away, he was smiling. Bakura stood up and held his hand out for Ryou to take. In truth, he was tired. It showed on his face, only just slightly, but enough to be there. He laughed bitterly. It had been way too long since he had played a Shadow Game, let alone initiated one. It took a lot out of any normal person even when they were used to it, but then again the thief was hardly a normal person. It hadn't taken out as much of him as he thought it would, but part of the reason he was so tired was, of course, the 'rent' he had paid just before Marik had shown up. It was all too much for one day, but he wasn't at all ready to rest yet.

Ryou's gaze evaded his eyes as he tried his best to look away. He could not seem to fixate his gaze on the thief king yet he did not know why he could not. It could either be because he felt guilty that he doubted Bakura's intentions or it could also be because he felt that room for doubt in the first place. The boy could not help but bite his own lip before he felt the other's lips on his own. "I wish you'd stop doing that. Pulling me even closer to you, I mean," he murmured, gripping on the other's hand. Why is it that he was so willing to trust him? True, loving the thief pushed him to trust him blindly but now, Ryou knew as to why he was ready to do everything for Bakura. It was mainly because no one else was there for him and it just so happened that Bakura was the one there, right? The brown-eyed boy could not help but shake his head before flashing a half-hearted smile. "We should go home. The police can find the two here- not that we left any evidence for them to track us."  


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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 11: Pharaoh's Suspicions.**

Before he could add anything else on, however, he remembered what they had been saying before about Kaiba and how Ryou had switched jobs right away because of his father's request. The thief almost laughed as he moved one hand to grip his Hikari's shoulder, trying to get his attention. "What about your father?" He asked. Bakura was assuming that he would be staying with Ryou for a while, and if the man appeared one day... "I don't think daddy would appreciate the fact that his son and a look-a-like are staying together and going at it like rabbits whenever they get the chance."

Despite Ryou's father not being around all that much, the man was very perceptive when it came to his son. He knew when something was wrong, when the Spirit had been particularly nasty to him or had driven him too hard, though Bakura doubted the man actually knew what had been plaguing his son. But without a doubt he would notice the love bites he had left and the change in his son's mannerisms if he even bothered to show up one day. And there was always the matter of concealing himself; it wasn't as if he wasn't familiar with the man, but he didn't want Ryou's father to know that he existed. It had been much more convenient to hide from him all those years.


	11. Pharaoh's Suspicions

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Reviews make us as happy as kids with bendy straws. More Reviews = Faster Updates. Yes, that's the writers write. :3

Chapter 10 is finally up! PLEASE ENJOY!

Again, Love me so Tender is just the product of the evil minds of bored girls and although both authors want to own the rights to YGO, they do not have the capacity for such feat... Yet. So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the output of our boredom. :)

**Chapter Warning: **Character Death if you can Call it that.

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**Chapter 11:** Pharaoh's Suspicions.

Halfway through the walk home, it started to rain. It was such a pain to go home through this route- choosing the path that would not result to an unwanted meeting with the pharaoh and his partner. Ryou leaned his head against Bakura's shoulder for a good few seconds, squeezing his hand a little before realizing that they were already near the house. He blinked once or twice to get the rain out of his eyes when he saw that his Mail box was recently opened. He opened the said mailbox and realized one small letter inside with the word "CONFIDENTIAL" in big red letters. Ryou looked at the envelope and upon further inspection; he realized that it came from the Kaiba Corporation. "Holy," he started before showing the said mail to the thief king. He groaned lightly before pulling on the thief king's hand and trudging towards his house.

The envelope bothered Bakura. He had almost completely forgotten about Seto Kaiba, mostly because he thought he had made sure that those guards had done something to make it seem, somehow, like they had been the ones to steal the Millennium Rod. But maybe that wasn't the case? Although as soon as he found out what the letter said, the thief felt himself relax a little bit. That wasn't a problem at all! It would be easy to explain: Ryou just had to tell the truth and explain that it had been his father that requested the transfer of jobs.

Ryou walked towards his couch, taking his pants and shirt off for he did not want to drench the couch more than he has already. He shuddered lightly, wondering as to why it felt so cold inside the house. Maybe it was because of the rain or maybe it was because he was drenched in rain; but Ryou was not really that sure. The white-haired boy looked up at his thief king before opening it. The contents of the letter were simple- he was just being called by Seto Kaiba himself to explain his immediate resignation after the whole incident in the Kaiba Corporation. The letter also stated that the management wanted to know if Ryou noticed anything suspicious with what happened in the building before he left. Apparently, two guards were found dead in one of the rooms and it is assumed that they killed each other.

"What if he learns that..." he murmured before sighing. He knew that there was no use thinking about this. Bakura would eventually bail him out if he was in any real danger, right? Ryou groaned a little before pulling the thief king on top of him before pouting a little. "How can you love someone like me, Yami-sama? How can you," he stopped himself by pressing his own lips against Bakura's. Everything felt so right when he kissed the said thief king like this. It felt as if everything was slowly falling into place and strangely enough, all of his insecurities left the moment he felt the other's body against his own. "Koi," he whispered lightly, licking the other's lips, not caring if Bakura would have his head over this term of endearment. Maybe his heart was right. Ryou did not care about everything else, save for the white-haired thief on top of him. He should start trusting Bakura more and if he were to be thrown away- he should just tell himself that at least he was of some use... Right?

"Don't worry," he said sternly, though his face was gentle. He even moved to touch Ryou's face again, just as gently as before, as a way of reassuring him. "He won't find out. He won't find anything out. Trust me." Even if things got bad, he would make sure that Ryou was okay. The thief wouldn't allow any harm to come to his Hikari, even if it meant killing anyone that even threatened him. It wasn't the most effective way to ensure Ryou's safety, however, and he would rather avoid something that might be taken poorly, but if he had to, then Bakura would not hesitate to do anything.

He kissed the boy again, trying to give him an answer without speaking for the time being. He was trying to come up with one himself, but in the end he just pulled away and whispered, "I don't know. It's weird, but I... I just do. I can't explain it." And that was the entire truth of the matter, as much as he hated to admit it. Bakura would much rather have understood his emotions running about like this, but he didn't and there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

Before he could add anything else on, however, he remembered what they had been saying before about Kaiba and how Ryou had switched jobs right away because of his father's request. The thief almost laughed as he moved one hand to grip his Hikari's shoulder, trying to get his attention. "What about your father?" He asked. Bakura was assuming that he would be staying with Ryou for a while, and if the man appeared one day... "I don't think daddy would appreciate the fact that his son and a look-a-like are staying together and going at it like rabbits whenever they get the chance."

Despite Ryou's father not being around all that much, the man was very perceptive when it came to his son. He knew when something was wrong, when the Spirit had been particularly nasty to him or had driven him too hard, though Bakura doubted the man actually knew what had been plaguing his son. But without a doubt he would notice the love bites he had left and the change in his son's mannerisms if he even bothered to show up one day.

And there was always the matter of concealing himself; it wasn't as if he wasn't familiar with the man, but he didn't want Ryou's father to know that he existed. It had been much more convenient to hide from him all those years.

Ryou looked up at his dark side, finding this new softness inside him. It seemed as if the spirit was slowly accepting their arrangement- as if he was already truly falling in love with him. His eyes softened a little, sighing. It was next to impossible to have someone appreciate him- let alone love him for who he is, right? Maybe it was his innate insecurity or maybe it was because of his scarred childhood; but needless to say he was having a hard time accepting this arrangement. In truth, he really loved Bakura with everything in him but it escapes him as to why it's so hard to believe that the feeling is actually mutual. He tugged on the thief's shirt, pulling him closer. He loved the sudden rush whenever their lips would meet like this. If only he could stay in this position forever. Suddenly, Bakura started to talk about his father. He had not thought about that yet but he knew that the issue would come sooner or later.

The boy then sighed, wriggling beneath him before sitting up. "I don't think my father's coming home until next month- or even three months. He's rarely home, after all," he whispered, fiddling with his fingers. He had not been thinking at all for the past few days regarding things like these. He did not exactly care as to how everyone would perceive him as after seeing that he was in a relationship with someone- with someone of the same gender and a thief nonetheless. Ryou looked up at the thief, noticing that he was just waiting for the boy to speak up. "If ever he comes home- I can stay at your house. I can say that I need to go on a trip or something. I-I don't know. I just can't stay away from you but I can't risk showing you to my father. To keep your presence a secret is my utmost priority- until we get the pharaoh's puzzle," the boy bit his lip again, something he did when he was feeling nervous or unsure.

The boy sighed lightly before pulling the thief close, nuzzling him a little, "I don't want to lose you. Face it, you're stuck with me."

Ryou groaned a little the moment he realized that it was already morning. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up and realized that he was still on the couch- well on top of Bakura that is. Their clothes were scattered on the floor, Bakura's coat the only thing covering them at that point in time. He looked at the thief king blushing deeply as he caressed the other's cheek. For the past few days that they were together, Ryou loved waking up next to him like this. It just felt good and nice and fuzzy inside. He pressed his lips against the thief king's for a brief moment before sighing. He had to meet up with Yuugi at lunch and Kaiba at night. Today was going to be a tough day. "Wake up, Yami-sama," he whispered, planting soft kisses on his neck in order to wake him up. He sighed lightly before rolling off of him and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

"Well, now I'm awake," he muttered, groaning as he sat up. Grabbing a discarded shirt on the floor, he stood up as he brushed the dirt off of him. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was wearing Bakura's shirt. Finding it rather troublesome to change shirts, he made his way towards the bathroom. "I'm just going to take a bath, My Tozokuoh," he whispered, making sure that the last part was just above a murmur. He did not want to push Bakura away with all the romantic terms and all that jazz. After a few moments, he left the bathroom, still wearing the shirt. _'I can't believe I actually forgot my towel upstairs. I'm sorry for getting your shirt wet, Bakura-sama,'_ he said through the link, wondering if Bakura was up already. He took a glance at the living room before dashing up towards his room to change. He had to hurry though. After all, he was going to meet up with the pharaoh today.

Bakura grumbled a little bit when he was woken up. He didn't bother opening his eyes, but turned over despite the movement that he could feel. He took in a deep breath, almost yawning, and decided to just lie there for a few minutes as he woke up... or went back to sleep. It turned out to be the former, though, because he just didn't stay down.

While Ryou went and showered or whatever he wanted to do, the thief decided to clean up and got himself dressed. Of course, his shirt was missing, so he just forgot about that part for now. It wasn't really as if Ryou were going to object to him walking around without a shirt on, was it? He chuckled quietly at the thought of that, though he wasn't quite sure why it was funny.

Behind him, he heard movement, then Ryou's voice._ I don't care if it's wet, _he replied._ I'm going to need a change of clothes soon, anyway._ He decided to follow his Hikari up to his room, making no attempt to be sneaky about it. What was the point? And besides, by the time he looked inside, Ryou was already dressed. Bakura mock-pouted and slid over to him, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist and kissing the back of his neck gently. He smelled nice... clean. The thief closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of this. It was relaxing, and he was still a little groggy anyway.

"Why are you in such a rush, Yadonushi?" He asked sweetly. Of course, it was a fake sweet voice, but all the same, he was making an attempt to be playful. "Do you have plans or something? Or do you just want to get away from me?"

By now, Bakura was practically purring. He had moved his hand to snake its way under Ryou's shirt and rub his stomach. Teasing as usual. He wanted to spend as much time with Ryou as he could, because he had to face it, there wasn't much else for him to do. He could think of a way to take the Puzzle or the Key... but Ryou wanted to take the Millennium Puzzle and they had no idea where or when they would see Shadii again. But that probably wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway.

Ryou turned a little the moment he heard the sound coming from the thief king. He scratched the back of his head, nodding a little to show that he acknowledged his presence. He could not help but smile a little the moment he felt Bakura's hands wrapped around his waist. Part of him knew that he was just faking this whole sweet attitude but the thing was, Ryou did not care. He loved it when Bakura was tender outside of bed. But in bed, that was a totally different question. He let out a soft moan the moment he felt the other's hands on his stomach. It was different kind of feeling everytime Bakura touched him but nonetheless, he loved being this close to his Yami. He reluctantly left the other's hold, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Kura but I have to go. I'm meeting up with the pharaoh today. I wonder what it's for though."

The thief removed one hand to take something out of his pocket and slip it into Ryou's. "The Millennium Eye," he explained. "Use it today as much as possible. Nobody's there to stop you from using it today." Unseen by his Hikari, Bakura's expression grew into a dark grin. No, Marik couldn't stop him today... or ever, really. He wondered what had happened to him and his sister - had someone found them, or had Ishizu woken up and carried her brother home? Perhaps he would be able to find out through Ryou later on.

"I'll check up on Marik and Ishizu today. Though I'd much rather prefer it if they were killed by some drunkards there," he whispered before pressing his lips against the thief's before getting the item from his hand. In truth, Ryou did not want to use the Millennium Eye on anyone. It felt too intruding the moment he used it. With the help of the item, whatever they were thinking became clear to Ryou- too clear and it was hard to resist the temptation of overstepping boundaries. Ryou sighed lightly, "I'm sorry to say this Yami but I think the pharaoh is a little suspicious of what's happening." The boy was laughing a little when he realized that he was actually wearing a turtle neck that day. He wanted to avoid as much questions about the bites and bruises on his neck. After all, they did increase in volume the night before.

Ryou took one last look at Bakura, smirking lightly, "You should seriously put on a shirt, Yami-sama. I might not be able to stop myself from having you if you do not," he commented before rushing outside the house. His face was flushed even more at every step he took away from the house. It was weird- as if his confidence level decreases the moment he leaves Bakura's side. At this point in time, he was even redder in comparison to a tomato. It was as if it just sunk in that they were truly going at it like rabbits.

Bakura smirked as Ryou spoke, and it remained even after he left the house. If that was the case, then maybe he shouldn't put a shirt on today at all. But then again, it was kind of cold today, so he decided against that immediately. He frowned, though, thinking about what the boy said about the Pharaoh being suspicious. That had been the reason he'd given his Hikari the Millennium Eye - so he would be able to know exactly how suspicious they were or how much they knew. But he had a feeling it might not end up being used. Hopefully Ryou had enough common sense to know when to use it and when not to.

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He shook his head lightly as he entered a small cafe, noticing a familiar person inside. He slipped in his seat as he looked up, realizing that his friend was there. Ryou held on the item and for one split second, he could have sworn he saw the image of the pharaoh beside Yuugi when he did. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

By the time Ryou got to his destination, Yuugi and his other self were already there waiting for him. They had been conversing with each other through their mind link, discussing what they were going to say or what suspicions they had. Plus they had heard things from Kaiba about how Ryou had just suddenly resigned at the worst possible time, but since the CEO of Kaiba Corp hadn't exactly been generous with details, they didn't see how that was a problem. He had only just quit because his father got him a job at the museum, right?

_I don't know, Other Me,_ Yuugi told the Pharaoh. He usually wasn't afraid to speak his mind, quite literally, to his other self, but today he was just overall unsure of himself. It was because of how worried he was that they could get into an argument with Ryou, or if something bad was happening to their friend. One never really knew with him, because even when the Spirit of the Ring had been gone for sure, the other boy had never really opened up to them. He was probably just shy and reserved by nature, but... still, if they were friends, they had to be able to trust each other, right? It was all so confusing!

It actually took a while for Yuugi to realize that his friend had arrived. "Oh! Hi, Bakura-kun!" He said cheerfully. Normally it would be just fine and good, but somehow his chipper tone sounded forced today. Probably because of what they were there to talk about. He looked down at his hands, shaking his head a little bit for a split second then looking back up into his friend's eyes with what could have been regret. "I... I don't know, Bakura-kun. I'm sorry. But are you okay? You've been acting kind of strangely lately, and I'm kind of worried about you... we all are. We just want to help," he finished lamely. But he spoke the truth, of course. He really did want to help Ryou and would do whatever he could to. He doubted it would be that easy, though - nothing ever was, and if the thief king really had returned, then that would just make things even more difficult than usual.

Ryou fidgeted in his seat a little as he looked up at Yuugi. "Strange? I don't think I've been acting strange. Just a little tired, is all," he muttered, stretching a little. Technically, Ryou was not telling a lie for he has been very tired due to their late night activities. From the corner of his eye, he could not help but notice that the Millennium Puzzle glow for a split second. He froze, knowing the meaning as to why the Millennium Puzzle would glow that way. There was only one reasonable explanation. He touched the Millennium Eye in his pocket, noticing that he can no longer read the person's mind. He could not help but give the pharaoh a smug look, remembering the back story quite well. In truth, he was thanking the pharaoh a little. Because of what he did, he was able to meet Bakura in the first place. That's a good thing, right?

Ryou relaxed a little, looking up at him with his doe eyes and his lips turning into an obvious pout. Yami could not help but feel bewildered with this boy. There were signs that said that the thief was back but just looking at this innocent boy like this, it was pushing the pharaoh to believe him. Yami shook his head in thought as he stared down at the white-haired boy, causing him to flinch a little. "Is there something wrong, Yuugi-kun?" he said in that sweet voice of his. Yami wanted to tear this boy apart and yet there was something telling him that it was not the Spirit of the Ring controlling him this time.

It felt as if it was the real Bakura but then again, he has been fooled before right? So what makes this boy different from when the Evil Spirit controlled him back then? Yami was quite unsure but he needed to keep everyone safe.

"You look jumpy, Bakura."

"I assure you that I'm alright."

"Is that so? Then why are you still wearing the Millennium Ring?"

"I already told you. It's a present from my father and I wish to keep it close to me."

"Right, it's not like there's an Evil Spirit inside the Ring, right?"

Ryou shot his head up as he looked at Yami. It was as if the pharaoh was so determined to get him to admit that Bakura was back. He gulped a little looking at the pharaoh straight in the eyes, "What do you mean Evil Spirit?" _'Oh, he's good,'_ Yami thought as he stared back, noticing the fact that the boy hesitated to answer for even just a split second. _'But not good enough, tomb robber.'_ The pharaoh looked at him before putting a somewhat obnoxious smirk on his face. "There's a spirit that resides in the Millennium Ring. A spirit of a tomb robber that wants to destroy the world and at the same time, it is a spirit that has been controlling you for years already."

What happened next truly shocked Ryou. The pharaoh was actually talking about the tomb robber in such a casual way- as if he had already expected that Ryou understood what was happening around them. He was somewhat scared, wondering if he should admit to the existence of the said thief king. He sighed lightly. No, he was not willing to jeopardize Bakura's safety. "Oh Yuugi-kun. You have been listening to too much of your grandpa's stories. Do you honestly believe that there are spirits residing in these little trinkets? I highly doubt it," he said, trying his hardest not to arouse suspicion from the boy in front of him. Unfortunately for Ryou, Yami was listening very intently to the words he had to say. "These trinkets? So you mean to tell me that you know about the others as well?"

Yuugi was watching everything that was going on from the safety of inside his own mind. He didn't want to get involved again, really, not when his other self was being so... intruding. He still trusted his friend, but the way he was responding, seeming to panic just that little bit... it sort of alarmed him. Maybe they were right and the Spirit of the Ring was back... but that wasn't possible, was it?

_I don't know,_ he admitted to his Yami._ I think something is definitely up... but I don't think we can jump to conclusions yet. It's not weird for him to know about at least some other Millennium Items, since we have one too... and even if he doesn't know what they really are, though I think he does, ours look similar enough for him to just put them together._ There was enough doubt in his mind now to not fully trust Bakura, but that didn't mean Yuugi didn't want to stop altogether. But there was just too much suspicion about to cast it off as just a stupid theory...

Ryou gulped a little when he heard that before tilting his head to the side. "Well, my father always goes to expeditions in Egypt so he was bound to tell me about these items, right? Yuugi-kun, why must you press me about these things? Don't you... trust me?" he said, his voice giving off an impression as if he was about to cry. Yami rolled his eyes before returning to his Soul Room. Ryou was being a little too stubborn for his taste and since the direct approach would not work on him, maybe Yuugi will get information from him better than the pharaoh. Yami looked at him for a split second before contacting his partner. _'I still don't trust him, Aibou,'_ the pharaoh said through the link regarding the now sobbing boy in front of them.

When he was thrust back into control of his own body, it was kind of unexpected. And, of course, he panicked at the thought of comforting a sobbing Ryou, even if it may have been fake. He reached out and held his shoulders, eyes wide and unsure. "Whoa, whoa! C-calm down, Bakura-kun! I didn't mean to offend you!" On the inside, he was half-scolding his other self for being too intrusive. "Of course I trust you. I'm just worried! And before, you..." he trailed off. Uh-oh. They weren't supposed to say that, were they? What if he remembered how he had been controlled and did something drastic, like retreat from them even further?

But maybe that could be a good thing, if he knew. He would want to get rid of the Spirit again, right? And then they wouldn't have to worry. He explained that to his partner. _Do you think we should tell him about the other Bakura?_

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At the moment, said thief was getting a little agitated. He had just been thinking things over, and every time his thoughts went to something else, they would always wander back to his Hikari. How was he? Was he telling them anything? Or had he convinced them that he was okay? He doubted the Pharaoh would be so easily fooled, but there was always a chance that his soft Other Self would be able to persuade him... _Damned Pharaoh has gotten soft because of that one,_ he thought. _But that just makes things easier for me. Opens him to weakness... one that he never had before. Even the Priest and the Magician couldn't measure up to his precious Hikari._

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Ryou could not help but somewhat snicker at the back of his mind. For all this was worth, he was happy that Yuugi's suspicions were almost immediately cast aside the moment he started crying. It was hard to induce the tears but he knew that it was well worth it. The boy looked up at him before looking away. "Yuugi-kun, what exactly have I done for you to be this suspicious of me? All I've done is wear this trinket around and you start confronting me about things I do not even understand," he whispered, sighing lightly. Technically, what Ryou said was true. He was not really doing anything if one would momentarily forget about the Spirit of the Ring. For a second there, the boy actually felt a little bit hurt.

Ryou bit his lower lip before fixating his gaze at the boy in front of him. "If it's really that important to you, I'd stop wearing the ring, alright? I'd rather not have us fighting each other."With that statement, he opened up the mind link between him and the said thief king. _'Hold onto the Millennium Ring for now, Kura. I think that the pharaoh's really questioning your existence. Our mind link would be severed though but it's but a small price to pay, right?'_ he asked, his voice trailing off a little. As much as possible, he'd rather not hurt the only thing that would connect the two of them while they were apart but the circumstances pushed them to do such a drastic move, if one would consider it as such. Ryou tilted his head to the side before smiling at him, "Friends?"

Suddenly, two beeps could be heard inside the cafe- both coming from the phones of the boys in the same table. Ryou got his phone, wondering as to when he grabbed the device in the first place but he was thankful that he had the item at hand. He blinked at the message coming from Jounouchi, wondering as to what it was the got their friend so excited that he actually TEXTED them about it.

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From: Jounouchi Katsuya  
Subject: WOAHHHHHH!

Guys! Did you hear? The police found Marik's body and his sister's body at one of the side streets of the city. It's really scary isn't it? We should totally meet up and visit him at the hospital!

I heard that he's currently in a coma.

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Yuugi really wanted to tell his friend that he didn't need to remove the Ring or stop wearing it, since he really did seem to like the Item even if he didn't know what it really was. It was important to him - a gift from his father. But it was dangerous, especially if their suspicions were confirmed. He sighed and smiled sadly, hoping to dispel any worries his friend had. "You haven't done anything, trust me. Friends." He smiled happily, just like normal, and even though the deception wasn't intentional, Yuugi really made it seem as if things really were okay. In a way, he was like Ryou in the sense that he could act incredibly innocent - the only catch was that, unlike his friend, Yuugi usually didn't have anything to hide.

Yami was getting more curious with every passing minute. After all, the boy started crying and pretending that he was really hurt. Of course, Yami was not really a heartless person but the whole idea that the Spirit of the Ring was behind all of this was slowly becoming evident. If so, why is Ryou going as far as crying in front of them and acting as if he was totally outraged with the confrontation. The pharaoh could not help but glare down at the boy but it cannot be helped for now. _'I think it's best for us to talk to him about it. Maybe the Spirit has been blackmailing him or something? I don't know what to do, Aibou. All signs are telling me that something's up but I still feel as if we should trust Bakura- somewhat. He has not done anything that would cause our mistrust. I apologize, Yuugi,'_ the pharaoh said through the link, still in deep thought.

_I wonder what he could blackmail Bakura-kun about._ He responded to his Yami. It was actually an interesting thought, mostly because he didn't think that the other student had much to hide. Perhaps the Spirit of the Ring had done something and convinced Ryou that what had happened was his fault? It wasn't exactly an impossible situation - they knew how manipulative the thief could be.

Yuugi closed his eyes for a moment. All of a sudden, he felt just so... tired. Like he could barely keep his eyes open._ Don't apologize, _he thought. _He has been acting weird. But I don't think it was him personally that did anything that seemed odd. _But when he got that text message, he noticed the other biting his lip, something he only did when he was nervous and something he had been doing all afternoon. Instead of hitting the same conclusion as his Yami, though, he thought maybe Bakura was just worried about their friend - although come to think of it, he and Marik never had been very friendly until the Thief King had been banished from his mind. After that, though... they had gotten closer, so it sort of made sense that he would be worried.

_'Bakura-sama! They actually found Marik's body already. My friends are asking if I should go visit,'_ he relayed, before biting his lower lip, _'Should I go with them?'_ Yami shot his head up, wondering as to why the white-haired boy bit his lip for the nth time today. There was definitely something up and with Marik's apparent disappearance; the whole thing was something more than a mere coincidence. _'Aibou,'_ he said through their link but not saying anything else- assuming that Yuugi understood his suspicions better now.

"I'm sorry, Bakura-kun, but I'm going to go to the hospital and see him. I hope he and his sister are okay." With that, the short teenager stood up and grabbed the small bag he had brought with him. "You can come with me if you want, or we can meet up there later if you have to go home and do anything?" Again, it wasn't an intentional move to deceive his friend, but in asking if Ryou needed to do anything at home, Yuugi was opening up another possibility for them to gain any information from him.

* * *

When Bakura heard, however, he found the news very interesting. So Marik was in the hospital? _What about the woman?_ That was the most pressing question on his mind - she hadn't been killed, and he wasn't entirely sure if Ryou told her to go to sleep as well, under the influence of the Millennium Rod, so it was possible she would wake up and tell them about what had happened to her. The thief clutched the Millennium Tauk tightly in his hand - Yuugi and his friends might notice it was gone, but would they suspect him? More importantly, would they blame Ryou? He was sure to tell Ryou about all of the possible things that could go wrong, everything that flitted through his mind about Ishizu telling Yuugi what had happened got sent through their mind-link now. He needed to warn Ryou, give him options on what to do...

_Go with them,_ he told the boy calmly. _As soon as possible. Try and find out what happened to Marik's sister and use the Millennium Rod on her too when you can so she can't say anything. If you don't know where she is, then use Marik to find out and get her to somewhere that you can use the Rod on her._ Either way, they would have to use her and influence her so that she couldn't tell anybody what had happened to her and her brother.

* * *

Ryou was utterly nervous now, especially upon learning about Marik and his sister. _'Ishizu is with Marik as well,'_ he said through the link. He looked up at Yuugi quite nervously upon hearing Bakura's plot. He was sure that he wanted to help Bakura to the best of his abilities but something was holding him back from the order of the thief king. _'I don't... have the Rod with me right now, Yami-sama,'_ he said cautiously, not wanting to be in the other's bad side. He knew that Bakura cared for him at the very least but the idea that he could cause the end of the other's plans truly caused panic on the boy's behalf. He froze a little, watching the smaller boy stand up, holding the bag he had in his hand. It seemed like the right time to make use of the Millennium Eye as of the moment, trying to understand as to why Yuugi was doing what he was doing in the first place. He clenched onto the Millennium Eye, realizing that Yuugi was trying to fish for information, however; Ryou was still unwilling to give anything up for grabs. Yuugi was at the middle of everything- trying to protect Ryou from his Yami. In truth, it was the position that Ryou wanted Yuugi to be in.

He opened the mind link even more to the point that Bakura would be able to hear and somewhat see what Ryou was seeing- even for a few moments. The boy smiled rather sheepishly, taking a sip from his tea cup. "I'd meet up with you guys, later. I have a meeting with Mr. Kaiba in a while," he said, telling half the truth. Well, he was certainly not lying about the meeting but he had to do something to buy him time. If he was going to play as Bakura's pawn then he had to get the materials he needed.

"I hope that Mariku's alright," he whispered, sighing a little. This mere act caused Yami to tilt his head to the side. _'I think that the Spirit of the Ring just let go of the boy, Aibou,' _he said, folding his arms a little. Maybe Ryou's being controlled by the Spirit of the Ring at random hours but even so, why would the Spirit be nervous? Knowing the thief king, he would be laughing haughtily if ever it was his doing. Maybe the Spirit is hurting the boy somewhat. Maybe, the Spirit of the Ring is causing the boy distraught or something. Due to the certain turn of circumstances, he was 75% certain that the Spirit was back. If only Yami knew how wrong he was when he said that the boy was getting hurt.

The puzzle glowed for a split second as Yami inched closer to Ryou, "You don't have to hide anything from me, Bakura. I know that the Spirit is back and we can help you. We're friends, Bakura. I think you know what I'm talking about," he whispered, looking at the boy intently. He knew that he was bluffing but Ryou did not need to know that, right? Ryou looked up at the pharaoh with innocent eyes, "I can honestly tell you that I do not understand what you're getting at, Yuugi-kun. The talk is a little too pressing and I hope that this would be the last time that you talk to me about this Spirit thing. I guess this artifact is more than what it seems," he said, shrugging. Yami had to suppress himself from strangling the boy now. Ryou was too innocent- too precious for the thief king to use. The whole idea seemed cruel to the pharaoh- too cruel it seemed. Yami moved away from the boy, sighing lightly. "I can only help you if I know the details, Bakura. Just give me a call if you're ready to talk."

* * *

The final part of Ryou's little exchange with the Pharaoh was clearly overheard by the boy's Yami. It wasn't exactly anything special, just what he had been expecting this entire time. He did appreciate the fact that Ryou was still denying everything so clearly, though. He laughed to himself, wondering what on earth made the Pharaoh believe that he would just let Ryou tell him everything that was happening. They probably didn't know about his separate body yet, so wouldn't he think for at least a minute that he was listening to the entire conversation from within the boy's mind? Perhaps the Pharaoh wasn't nearly as clever as Bakura had thought.

After thinking for a moment about what to do with Marik, he said, _To wake him up, you probably won't even need the Millennium Rod._ Hadn't Ryou's command been for him to wake up simply when he said so? But it might be safer if he had it anyway, in case when the Egyptian did wake up he wasn't entirely under Ryou's control. That was something that could be left for another time, though. Perhaps, if they went later and Yuugi had already left, he could tag along to go see Marik and his sister as well. Not to wish them well, but to get a good look at how things had turned out. He did like seeing the results of the games he had won...

* * *

Ryou watched as the boy leave, letting out a soft sigh. _'Yami-sama. I have a plan in mind. But I have to be extremely cautious,'_ he said through the link, standing up a couple of minutes later. Bakura's laugh was cut short when he heard more thoughts slip through their link. _A plan? I'd like to hear that,_ he said. It was sure to be interesting - Ryou was intelligent and creative, and he had come up with the method on obtaining the Millenium Tauk, after all. Yami Bakura was actually excited to hear about what they could do next. It could be fun. After paying for the bill, he made his way back to his house when he was suddenly pulled in the alleyway. _'Yami-sama!'_ he said through the link but almost immediately, said link got cut off. Ryou blinked a little, eyes falling on the glinting ankh in front of him. His gaze trailed up a bit; eyes meeting with Shadii's.

"Ryou Bakura, my time is already up. I know that the tomb robber has his influence over you but I also know that you are a good friend of the pharaoh's. If you pass my test, I will give you the Millennium Key and you can do with it as you please. If you fail the test, you shall be banished to the Shadow Realm for your sins against the pharaoh," he said, pressing the end of the Ankh on his forehead.

Not even giving Ryou time to think about it, they were immediately zapped to the Shadow Realm. At the same time, Bakura was also pulled to the Shadow Realm by the said Egyptian. The boy blinked twice, looking around before realizing that he was back in the Shadow Realm. The only difference was the fact that he was alone. "B-Bakura-sama!" he cried out, trying to figure out if he could still contact the thief through their link.

* * *

But before Bakura got an answer, there was a short, panicked thought that sounded in his mind, then nothing. He had been cut off by something, but before he could even get up to go find out what might have happened, he felt consciousness slip away from him all too suddenly. When he woke up, the King of Thieves was in an all-too-familiar place. He cursed softly to himself and wondered what might have happened or how he got here. Someone must have done something to Ryou - the Pharaoh, perhaps? Or maybe the Vessel had finally learned how to do something for himself? But that would be unlike him, in any case... and he was thinking too hard about this. For now, he had to find Ryou, make sure he was here and not too badly hurt. He didn't see the point in yelling out, because it was likely his voice wouldn't carry: there were times when he had been sealed away where his own voice had no sound. But thoughts would carry.

_Yadonushi,_ he thought. standing up and beginning to roam around in search of his Hikari. _Where are you? What happened?  
_

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 12:** Answers to the Underhanded Riddles.

There had been no answer to his thoughts. Bakura hadn't even been sure that he had been heard, and that truly worried him. What if something was happening and Ryou couldn't get out of it on his own? He wasn't as used to being the Shadow Realm as his Yami was, so he probably wouldn't know what to expect. This place could play tricks on your mind and all your senses - some of which even the King of Thieves had fallen for at times. But he would have to keep trying; this wasn't going to defeat him - or Ryou - if he had anything to do with it.

_Yadonushi, answer me!_ He called out again with his mind. Somehow he knew he wouldn't get a response. Things all around him felt dead, including the link that connected him to his Hikari. But that wasn't going to stop him from finding the truth out himself.


	12. Underhanded Riddles

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Does the doll play seem familiar? Yes, it's based on Yami no Yuugi's test way back at the first few volumes of Season 0. We twisted it up a bit though.

We do hope that you like this chapter. Sorry for being away for so long. Seriously, school is being a total idiot and my professor in a particular class just enjoys watching us squirm in his grasp. Damned Finance Professor. :3

Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. **ALSO, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR OTHER STORY, BURY MY TENDER HEART. IT BE AWESOME!**

Things will start to look up for our two white-haired boys buuuut, a little Euroshipping would happen soon enough. A little hint for you too: Ryou can be seme when he wants to. -le gasp- ONTO THE STORY! :]

**Chapter Warning: **Shadii being a total bitch.

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**Chapter 12:** Answers to the Underhanded Riddles

Ryou snapped his head up upon hearing that eerie voice of his beloved dark side. His shoulders slumped forward a little, staring at the floor as tears started to form near his eyes. In all honesty, the boy was truly scared- wondering if something would eventually jump out of nowhere and attack him or something. He was not that sure but one thing was for certain- staying in one place was not the solution to everything. After a few minutes, Ryou felt strong hands wrap around him and that familiar warm breath was soon making its way at the back of his neck. "I promised that I would not come back but look at what we have here, it seems as if you missed me too much," the deep voice said, running his tongue against the pale Hikari's neck.

By now, Ryou was panicking. His heart was racing and even though his mind was shouting at him to calm down and think about happy thoughts and all of those related items, it seemed as Ryou was in no mood to stay calm. The boy jerked a little and was soon outside of his hold. His eyes wandered everywhere, trying to find an escape when he saw the other Egyptian man, holding five dolls. He placed the said dolls on a particular ledge before looking at Ryou. His brown eyes were wide open, staring at the ankh before looking at the man as if asking him as to what this was all for. "Your first test is a test of your grasp on reality- of your courage and urge to always move forward. Are you going to bind yourself in the past, little Hikari or will you get enough courage to move forward," he stated before melting into the apparent darkness.

Soon enough, Ryou was pinned on the floor, trashing about. Clothes were immediately discarded; the act inevitable- or so it seemed to him. He tried to hold onto something- anything that would cause him to wake up from this particular nightmare. _'Bakura-sama! H-Help-'_ "I have already killed your beloved Yami. He put up a fight- scowling and cursing but he did not last long," Marik said as he continued with his onslaught. At the background he could have sworn he saw the thief king- his thief king in a pool of blood and he was already unmoving. Ryou widened his eyes, a particular doll slowly tearing apart due to his emotions. He did not know what to do, losing all hope for survival.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, about to accept defeat when he felt something warm- the Millennium Ring pressed against his chest. He looked up at Marik before shaking his head, "Yami-sama already did his revenge. He would never lie to me- you're already dead," Ryou said; his voice cold. The tan boy doubled back a little before smirking. Marik was about to touch him again when the footsteps became more apparent. "Bakura-sama loves me and he will never leave me!" he exclaimed and with that, he heard the other Yami scream suddenly as he said those words. "Courage will only come... from trust," he whispered to himself, shaking still. He knew that part of the first test was already done but Ryou could not help but feel as if everything in him died at the same time for even though Marik was gone, "Bakura" was still in the corner, dead.

* * *

There had been no answer to his thoughts. Bakura hadn't even been sure that he had been heard, and that truly worried him. What if something was happening and Ryou couldn't get out of it on his own? He wasn't as used to being the Shadow Realm as his Yami was, so he probably wouldn't know what to expect. This place could play tricks on your mind and all your senses - some of which even the King of Thieves had fallen for at times. But he would have to keep trying; this wasn't going to defeat him - or Ryou - if he had anything to do with it.

_Yadonushi, answer me!_ He called out again with his mind. Somehow he knew he wouldn't get a response. Things all around him felt dead, including the link that connected him to his Hikari. But that wasn't going to stop him from finding the truth out himself.

* * *

Then the specter of the Dark Marik vanished, the shadows around it began to move, taking on another form entirely. The first part of the test had been completed, yes, but there was still more - much more - to come for the boy. By now, the link between Bakura and Ryou had been cut off as another condition of this test. If Ryou were to hear Bakura's thoughts, then it would be far too easy for him to realize that the Yami was not, in fact, dead, and for the purposes of this test, Ryou had to be weakened and alone. It was not a test designed to be easily passed.

The shadows stilled again, revealing the new form they had taken on: one from the boy's memories, something that was very dear to him. The figure walked up silently to Ryou, stopping only when it was behind him and then giggling. It reached out to grab his hand and pulled. "Nii-san, Nii-san!" It cheered, giggling happily and pulling on the boy's hand. When Ryou would turn to look, the image of his little sister would be the thing pulling at him.

Amane let go of Ryou's hand, giggling as she ran to stand in front of him. "Oh, Nii-san, I missed you so much! What are you doing here? This isn't a good place to be!" She put her hands on her hips, pouting as if she were angry about something. "You should get out of here. Come on, I'll help you!" She took a hold of his hand again and began to lead him along, past the corner where the dead Bakura lay.

When they got closer, she stopped and looked at the 'corpse'. At first, she seemed to look confused, possibly upset, but within a second a wide, creepy grin spread across her face. Amane turned her eyes onto her brother's and whispered to him, "Oh, no, Nii-san... It happened again. Someone important to you has died." And instantly, she was back to her cute, smiling self. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Ryou could not help but be perplexed the moment his eyes met with his sister's. His form trembled a little before pulling the girl into a tight hug. "A-Amane," he stuttered, squeezing her form lightly before letting her go. There was something off with the way she was acting - as if the girl is a little too cheerful about something. The moment he was pulled past Bakura, it took him everything not to grovel all over the thief. True, when Amane and his mother died, his world collapsed almost immediately but still, nothing could compare to what he felt at that moment. Ryou's eyes narrowed a little as he stared at the thief- eerily peaceful and quiet. His white hair was drenched in crimson liquid. At that moment, a doll suddenly cracked before crumbling down into pieces. Ryou looked up, trying to understand as to what the dolls were for but to no avail.

They continued along a short distance until a doorway appeared. Amane led her brother through to what appeared to be a room much like the one they had visited the last time Ryou had been dragged into the Shadow Realm. This time, however, instead of the Millennium Items being on each door, there was a circle with fractions blacked out. The doors formed a circle themselves. The one they had come in through closed - that one had a full circle on it, with nothing blacked out.

"It's a game, Nii-san," Amane whispered. "This is a game where you have to outwit your opponent. There's only one door here that will take you out of this room - the other ones have a surprise in them! But you have to choose carefully, because you don't get many chances to start over." She was careful in not stating who the opponent in this game was as well as the 'surprises' waiting in all the incorrect rooms - that would be revealed soon enough. "You can ask any questions you want. They might even get answered truthfully, if you're lucky!"

She giggled again, holding his hand tightly, just like she had done when she was alive. Oddly enough, she felt warm instead of cold. Almost as if she was still alive. This, too, was an illusion, though - one that played on Ryou's emotions, and one that he would have to see through in order to pass this test.

He looked around, noticing the fact that the doors have different circular figures on them. Holding onto his chest, he looked up and stared at Amane. Ask anything, she said and that only pushed Ryou's curiosity over the edge. "Why are you here, Amane-chan?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. He knew that Bakura used to say that he brought she was in the Shadow Realm but he didn't think for one second that it was possible. He shook his head a little before smiling. "For whatever reason it's for, I'm happy to have seen you. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" he murmured. His mind was going bonkers at this point in time. He raised his head, taking a good look at the doors. In all reality, he did not mind getting stuck in the Shadow Realm if it meant that he would be with his sister and technically, Bakura.

Amane looked perplexed for a moment, then went back to smiling. "You know why I'm here, Nii-san." She said no more on that matter. Ryou was not really seeing his sister, after all, just an illusion of her. If he believed she was real, then he would have no chance in passing this test. But that was why she was there, wasn't it? To slow him down, stop him if possible.

_'No, Bakura can't be dead. H-He's just here,'_ he thought, holding onto the Millennium Ring. He was quite happy that he had the item at hand for it was the most useful item for this task. He gripped on the Millennium Ring, noticing that familiar warmth again. It was odd and hard to explain but it seemed as if the Ring was trying to appease his soul. He gulped a little before thinking, one pointer moving to a particular door. The other pointers were actually pointing upwards, as if telling him that none of the doors were the right door in the first place but the other pointer was still pointing at something else. Oddly enough for Ryou, it did not point to the door that held "Bakura's" body but instead, it pointed to the one fully shaded. "B-Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, rushing to the door before pounding on it. He wanted to hear him even for a moment- even for a quick second. Tears trickled down his cheek, gripping on the item.

Question was, was he willing to fail his test in order to 'see' him or was he willing to follow his mind for once?

Amane laughed and skipped after her brother, gripping his hand tightly and trying to tug him away. "Bakura-sama? But isn't that you, Nii-san?" Amane asked curiously. There were multiple meanings behind the apparition's words; would Ryou pick up on any of them, or was he too distracted by the thought of seeing his beloved Yami again? The girl let go of her brother's hand and took a step back, face suddenly eerily blank. "Bakura... that's you. You don't write to me anymore. You don't visit me or speak to me. I'm lonely... lonely..." She began sobbing quietly. It was another tactic being applied in this test: the mirage of Ryou's sister was attempting to make him question himself and what he was doing. If he passed and was given the Millennium Item he had been promised... maybe there was a chance it wouldn't fall into the Thief King's hands.

"You can open that door, you know," she whispered softly. "I wonder if it's the right one; are you going to try it?" In a way, Ryou's answer was going to have a big impact on the rest of his test. If it was the wrong door, then he would have to pay a heavy price... unless he could cheat his was out of paying it.

* * *

At that moment, Shadii appeared in front of the thief king, his eyes and form stoic as he looked over the thief king. "Your Hikari is currently going through a test of his innocence. He has been judged by the scales as innocent but recently, he has been doing acts that are not to the liking of the gods," quickly referring to the pharaoh. In all honesty, Shadii is but a spirit tasked to hold the Millennium Key and hand it over the right person; however, time was not enough for him to test the pharaoh's vessel so this Hikari was good enough. If he was truly able to tame the great Tozokuoh Bakura himself, then maybe, he was different among the other humans. Maybe, he can play a part of saving the world. "That boy is quite intriguing indeed. He is holding up quite well, considering that he has only destroyed one out of five life lines," he said, before waving his hand through the air. Soon, the scene that was playing inside the room of trials was showing in front of them.

As Shadii spoke to him, Bakura looked away, smirking arrogantly. "'Not to the liking of the gods'? You mean lying to the Pharaoh's face, betraying him and his vessel, and having sex with the King of Thieves? The one who wants nothing more than to see the world die at his hands? I can see why the Gods might be a little offended." He laughed haughtily; of course, Bakura was proud of all those things, even more so now that he knew that something was at least reacting to his deeds, even if the Pharaoh himself didn't seem to be.

"He's not weak," The thief king retorted. "At least, not in the way everyone around him seems to think. He can hold his own... but there are ways to bend him, mold him, just like with everyone else. Yourself included." Bakura nodded, looking at Shadii from the corners of his narrowed eyes. Not even Shadii himself could deny the fact that he had been manipulated - almost twice now. Giving Ryou a chance like this, because he was 'innocent.'; He had kept an ancient evil Spirit within his body, and now he was helping it destroy everything he had previously held close to his heart! Ryou himself had manipulated Shadii.

The thief's attention turned to the scene playing out in front of him with detached curiosity. Now that he knew what was going on, he was certain that this would end in his favour. Ryou would pass, no doubt - wait a minute, what was that? _What is he doing?_ Bakura asked himself, narrowing his eyes. Maybe he was wrong, and Ryou really wasn't as capable as he thought? No, no, that was absurd. He wasn't wrong, Ryou was just not thinking clearly. It was the Shadows around him - they were messing with his mind.

"Wait," he muttered to himself, catching sight of the girl nearby. "That's the girl from his memories. His... sis...ter..." Ah, now it made sense. If nothing else, then that was sure to throw Ryou off. He hoped that the boy would be able to hear him, even though he was quite certain that their link had been cut off.

_Stop crying,_ he thought coldly._ Get over yourself. There are more important things to worry about now, so focus on them instead!_ He tried to sound angry or irritated on purpose - hopefully it would give his Hikari a push in the right direction, and there was always time for apologies later.

* * *

Ryou raised his head to look at the girl, tears trickling down his face. "I'm sorry, Amane-chan. It's true; I haven't talked to you in a while," he bit his lower lip in regret before smiling at her. "But you don't have to watch over me anymore. I know that I have been writing to you just so I can avoid the fact that you're gone," he whispered before shaking his head. He made his way towards the girl, feeling his heart tug at him in the process. At the back of his mind, he somewhat pictured Bakura frustrated at him for this, scowling and yelling like a little kid. He could not help but laugh at the thought, pressing a finger against his lips so the laughter would fail to come out. "But you see, Amane-chan, I already have someone looking out for me. He's not exactly the nicest guy in town but I... I love him," he said, flashing his best smile in order to forget what he was doing in the first place.

He was letting go. He was letting go of one of the most important people in his life and even though he would want to keep hold of Amane, he could not. Ryou held his sister close, wrapping his arms around her. "It's nice to see you again but we both know that you're not really here. Thank you, Amane," he whispered before parting from him. He looked around and then back at the Millennium Ring, thinking of the place wherein he has to go to in order to move to the next test. Soon enough the arrow-like things pointed upwards, almost as if they were pointing at him. "The doors around us do not lead to anywhere particularly nice. All of those doors lead to one of your surprises," he said, eyes narrowing to the point that he almost looked like his Yami. It was frightening actually, seeing an innocent soul that sinister.

Soon enough, the doors came tumbling down as Amane melted into what seems like black goo. Ryou could not help but stare at the remains of his sister before turning his head, as if looking for the place to go to next. Soon, another door appeared in front of him, his hand almost reluctant to open it. He took in a rather sharp breath before entering the said room. There, he saw his dark side alive and well, causing Ryou to dash towards him, wrapping his arms around his neck and sobbing on his chest. However, this was still part of Ryou's test. Ryou looked up at him, trembling lightly the moment the dark being pushed him away. "Y-Yami-sama... W-What's wrong?" he stuttered, still trembling in front of him. He would understand if thief king said anything but he just stood there, staring down at the boy- or so it seemed to him. Ryou looked up in horror, wondering if this was the reality of things- that his Yami did not care for him in the first place.

* * *

Shadii looked at the projection of the current test. "The test of trust and independence," he said simply, looking at the actual thief before looking back. Normally, what would end up in this room was the person that was most special to the examinees. It truly puzzled Shadii as to why said blob took the form of the thief. Truly, the said Egyptian was taken aback the moment the thief said Ryou's 'sins', as if they had not meant anything to the said thief king. He was not that all surprised with the way he acted but the fact still remained that the tomb robber was still as manipulative as before, right? But while Bakura was talking about the Hikari, the Egyptian could not help but notice that he was talking a little too kind. Normally, Bakura would not care about his pawns but here he was, worrying after his host.

"Could it be that you actually have special feelings for this boy?" he asked, turning towards the thief and holding the Millennium Key at hand. In truth, Shadii was quite curious and amused. What exactly was the effect of the boy towards the Yami?

Bakura remained silent as Shadii spoke, keeping his eyes trained firmly on what was playing out before him. He hadn't at all expected him to simply let Amane go like that - she was too important to him. Before they had first spoken to each other, as a Spirit Bakura would watch his host write letters to his sister, and only later had he learned who she really was. Come to think of it, the first time they had officially 'met' was when he was writing a letter to Amane. Back then, he was still grieving, even though she had died so many years ago. But now? He had let go. Just like that, something that important to him was put behind him, as if it were nothing...

He shook his head. Perhaps Ryou was even stronger than he'd thought.

"Hmph." What Shadii said to him did have a certain truth to it, but he wasn't going to admit it. Hell, he had barely admitted it to Ryou! An excuse had already been formulated in his mind, partially because this 'excuse' had been his initial reasoning for keeping Ryou around in the first place - even when they shared a body. "What use would I have for a weak host? There's no challenge in overpowering someone that's ready to be completely subservient." Which, in a way, Ryou was being now, but there was still that air of defiance about him, like he was making a choice and could change his mind whenever he wanted to. Bakura was still being careful around him.

"He's useful - and besides, his soul matches mine almost exactly. He doesn't realize it yet, but we're more similar than he knows." Really, with all those things combined, it was just more convenient to keep Ryou around. Not to mention that he really did have 'special feelings', as Shadii put it, for his Hikari. He had taken an interest in him long ago, past his simple uses as a vessel. It had only taken until just recently for him to realize it.

He put aside his inner musings for now to focus more on the challenge in front of him. He was seeing himself now, talking to Ryou and pushing him away. This was not good. Would his Hikari realize that it wasn't really the King of Thieves? He was smart, and he had realized that Amane had only been an illusion, but the way he had rushed to the apparition so readily worried Bakura.

* * *

It was then when the fake Bakura started to speak: "What's wrong? Don't you know, Yadonushi? It's your fault, after all."

It took a step forward, back to where Ryou had landed after he had been pushed away. He took out his knife, flicking the blade out and holding it precariously close to the boy's face. He laughed coldly, sounding more hollow and nasty than ever before - a perfect imitation of the real Bakura's most sinister chuckle. It was as if the old Bakura was back, treating Ryou as he had when he was simply an inhabitant of his body. The spectre licked its lips and pressed the blade even closer, just barely touching the metal to the soft skin beneath Ryou's right eye.

"I've had a revelation of sorts," he remarked. "I've had time to think about what we're doing. What I'm doing. And I must say... I'm very unhappy." A hand came up quickly, fisting in Ryou's hair to keep him in place, holding just firmly enough for it to hurt him. He pulled a little bit to make sure that the boy's eyes met his. They were narrowed and angry; merciless. The thief laughed again, enjoying what he was seeing on the boy's face: pain, tears... the dolls were probably cracking and crumbling where they stood right now.

"You betrayed me, Yadonushi. You let them separate us. The Pharaoh knows I'm here because of you... and let's not forget what you let Marik do to you. How can I be sure you won't betray me again? You could run off to your little friends at any time and leave me. Can't have that now, can we?" The thief stayed in place save for pressing just slightly harder with his knife, but still not enough to cut into Ryou. His sadistic smirk only widened. "You're weak. Much too weak for me to even bother with anymore."

Soon enough, two more dolls became dust. Ryou was scared, his heart racing as he saw the knife that was precariously placed beneath his eyes. His eyes were wide open, tears trickling down his cheeks not on his own accord. He trembled slightly to the point that he was already shaking in his hold. "B-Bakura-sama, please," he could not help but yelp the moment he felt the thief tug at his hair a little. He did not know what to do, honestly. He was at the point of giving up- of surrendering himself to the Shadows completely. He could not help but notice that the Shadows were slowly making their way around them, whispering to Ryou how the thief lied to him about caring for him. Ryou could feel his heart break along with the cracking sound of the dolls nearby. He did not know what to do before shaking his head and placing a hand on the thief king's hand, urging him to press closer against the skin already.

Soon, a tiny trail of blood trickled down his cheeks. The scent of blood was metallic, mixing with the salty tears that do not seem to cease. "I-I thought... You loved me," he whispered, tugging on his hand so that the blade would continue to pierce the skin. This act caused Ryou to wince but soon he regained his emotionless stare at the thief king. "The kisses... The nights we've spent together... The words you have said... Those were all lies? You said I was helping you. You said I was doing well. You said you... have fallen for me," he choked out a sob before letting go of the thief's hands. He then proceeded to holding the said thief's shirt, pulling him closer as he looked up. "I don't understand, Yami-sama! I-I-I did nothing but try my best to help you. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted to be... With you," he whispered, closing his eyes.

Ryou could feel as if his heart stopped beating at this point in time. He could remember his Yami's voice clearly, the way he called his name and the way he held him like he would break at any given time. Just the night before, he held his Yadonushi so tight, as if he never wanted to let go of him and now, Ryou wondered as to how those lovely hands could cause so much pain and sadness at the same time. "Yami-sama, I am not weak! I am not... I am not... You said I was not," he whimpered, somehow managing to lean his forehead against the other's chest. When did today go so wrong? Why is it that it started great, almost perfect, to this in a matter of hours? Maybe the meeting with the pharaoh was setting him up for this but one thing was for certain- hearing the thief king act like his usual self truly scared Ryou beyond words. "I-I love you, Yami-sama. I love you," he said in between sobs.

* * *

Shadii was quite amused with how the thief was reacting. Just moments ago, he had said that Ryou was strong and that he could easily overcome these obstacles. However, upon being pressed regarding his feelings for the said Hikari, the thief started talking about how weak the boy was in the first place. His eyes narrowed a little before sighing almost reluctantly. He knew that the thief was lying but he simply let his illusion of happiness continue as Shadii pretended that he believed every word that he was saying. At the same time, concern was hinted on his eyes. It was true that he had to remain neutral and that he was supposed to simply view the said scenario with ease but it was slightly scaring the said Egyptian that the boy was not wavering.

"It seems that the boy is really taken by you, Tomb Robber. I wonder if he will pass this test in the first place," he muttered, watching the dolls slowly break one by one.

Shadii really had no idea just how right he was. The Thief King looked away, gritting his teeth. "...I know. He is." That was all he could say. Ryou was not weak or stupid; unless he completely trusted and loved Bakura, he would not have allowed the thief to get so close to him or to do anything to him - least of all take him like that. He rarely let strangers in to begin with, mostly because of what the Spirit had done, and even more rarely did he trust them. But that was the key to this test - he had to trust Bakura and have faith in what the Thief King had told him before.

He growled darkly. "He will pass this test," he insisted. Then, turning to Shadii, said louder, "He will pass! He's not stupid, and he's not weak!" But on the inside, the thief really was worried. Only two dolls were left and they were quickly disappearing. He would be able to see through this illusion, right? Just like he had seen through Amane and let her go. It was the same thing! Ryou just had to remember where he was!

_Yadonushi, stop!_ He begged. _Trust me. Me, not what's in front of you._ He still doubted that this would work, just thinking what he wanted to tell his Hikari. Bakura snarled, curling his hands into fists and clenching so hard that he began to draw his own blood. He felt powerless, and that was not something he liked at all. He had no control over this situation, and it was driving him mad. _Open your eyes! This isn't real! _He wanted to scream at Ryou, go over to him and maybe slap some sense into him. He could apologize later, kiss him until he no longer believed the lies that the illusion was spinning, and hold him until he stopped sobbing. But he couldn't. He couldn't do anything but watch. And it was all Shadii's fault. He loathed that man.

Shadii looked shocked that the thief was actually complimenting the boy and at the same time acting so violently upon hearing bad things about him. If he did not know any better, then maybe the thief really did feel something for the boy. The Egyptian simply shook his head before dismissing the thought in the first place. This was the man who desecrated tombs of their former pharaohs and gods. This was the man who went through city after city, getting money from whoever he could just so he could live in extravagance. Of course, Shadii did not know about Kul Elna and the mystery behind the creation of the Millennium Items but nonetheless, the thief did not have enough reason to get this mad at the former leaders of their land. "You look as if you're agitated- a little too agitated," Shadii said, simply pointing out the obvious from noticing the blood that was now escaping through his body. Was it really possible that this Thief King actually cared for someone other than himself?

Bakura completely ignored Shadii's observation. Of course he was agitated; he was watching his Hikari fall for an illusion of him right before his eyes! He almost felt insulted, but remembered at the last second that he really shouldn't expect anything else. Being in the Shadow Realm too long did things to your mind, and to be fair, that was a somewhat convincing impression of him. The only difference was that he wouldn't have done things so slowly (not to mention elaborately). Ryou hadn't done anything for Bakura to make him want to suffer, so he would have ended things quickly if he had decided they needed to come to an end.

* * *

What the specter did next dragged the thief's attention back. He laughed, throwing Ryou to the ground and coming back over him, straddling his legs and pressing the blade underneath the boy's eye again. "Love?" He spat, voice breathless and psychotically amused. "Love is a weakness. You think I would bother with something so trivial? I'm the King of Thieves, Yadonushi!" He let out a loud cackle, digging the blade back into the soft flesh of Ryou's face and dragging it downwards, creating a long vertical gash. His eyes widened at the sight of the blood pouring out of the wound. But he wasn't finished yet.

"Don't get me wrong, you did help me for a while. But now you've worn out your usefulness." He cut into Ryou's face again, near his mouth, this time in a different direction. It looked like a kind of inverted cross coming from just under his right eye; the fake Bakura laughed. "Now doesn't this look familiar?" He whispered more to himself than to the boy underneath him. With another dark chuckle, he pressed the blade slightly above the cut he just made. "I don't have time to waste on useless things like you, Yadonushi. It was fun while it lasted."

He pressed the blade in again and dragged it swiftly to the right, creating another cut identical to the last one, only slightly bigger. He then lifted the knife to his lips and flicked out his tongue to taste the blood left on the shining metal. Another low laugh, and he stood up. "Mm, so good. I like this look for you, Yadonushi - we match now." He continued to lick the blood off the blade, laughing constantly. He had carved a quick, messy imitation of the scar he had worn as the King of Thieves - a punishment he had received, now transferred to the former host of his soul. But something still wasn't right. Not all of the dolls had broken yet, so there was still much to be done. It seemed to occur to the illusion just then that he still hadn't taken the last remaining thing from Ryou that he held dear.

It knelt next to the boy's form, getting blood on its clothing as it did so. The fake Bakura reached over and placed one hand on the Millennium Ring, curling his fingers around it. "This belongs to me, Yadonushi. I think it's time you gave it - and the Millennium Eye - back."

It was weird that Ryou had stopped crying. His hair was covering his eyes as the apparition in front of him tried to get the Millennium Ring from him. He shook a little, wondering as to why it felt different. Ryou would usually feel that warm feeling every time the thief held the item. It was as if Bakura was holding part of him, which was technically true in the first place. "Millennium Ring... Who do I want most?" he asked quietly, watching the item glow. The trinkets vibrated a little, watching as the Millennium Ring pointed to a different direction, possibly where the real thief was. Ryou could not help but laugh a little, though it came out as a soft wheeze. He was so stupid to simply let the thief- or what looked like him- fool him in the first place. It was true, he trusted Bakura with everything in him and yet it seemed as if he did not trust him enough. His eyes were shut tight as Ryou started laughing even louder, as if he was already crazy. His body was shivering from laughing too hard, falling to the hard floor as he held his face.

"I feel rather stupid, Yami-sama. I can't believe it took me this long to not notice that it was not really you," he spoke, mostly to himself as his face was partially covered with his arm. He was laughing heartily but it was to the point that it was already disturbing. He then sat up, wiping near his cheeks as his sleeves got covered in both blood and tears. The stinging feeling of the cut was gone; his eyes glowing with excitement now. "Yami-sama's waiting for me somewhere. I just know it. Yami-sama! I don't think you'd enjoy seeing an impostor here!" he exclaimed the last part to the heavens, clutching to his Millennium Ring. "The only person that I can give the Millennium Ring to is the real King of Thieves," he stated, watching the imitator dissolve into the thick black goo once more. By now, he felt emotionally drained, standing up as he saw another door appear in front of him. He limped towards the said door, panting slightly. He cut was still pretty bad, considering that it was in the Shadow Realm. But there was something different about Ryou now.

Ryou was sure about his emotions now- especially with how he feels. He could not believe that even for a second, he considered that Bakura might hurt him again like that. As hard as it is for Ryou to believe in the thief's words, he felt powerless to the emotion resonating in his heart. He truly loved Bakura and he wanted to give him his trust- his full trust this time around. "I just hope he forgives me for almost giving in," he whispered, recalling that this was a test after all. It seemed weird that every time he would falter a little, one of those little dolls would break. Maybe there was something up with those dolls in the first place. It took Ryou a few seconds to put two and two together only to realize what they truly mean. "Damn," he cursed under his breath, placing a hand on the door knob as he realized that the dolls might be the indicator of his "life" in the game. He has already wasted three lives and only had two left. He took a deep breath, turning the said knob before wincing at the sudden light that flashed from the other side of the door.

The moment he entered the last room, he noticed that Shadii and the real Bakura were there, looking at what seems like thin air. "Does this mean that the test is... over?" he asked, falling to his knees as he looked up at the Egyptian. He did not bother to run up to the thief king, lest it was one of the tricks of the Shadow Realm playing on him again. "You still have one last test and this is the one that would dictate the winner of our little bout," the Egyptian said, clutching on the Millennium Key. Ryou could not help but shake his head at the utter disadvantage he had in this game. It was as if he has gone through hell and back while Shadii did not even break a sweat. Ryou closed his eyes before slumping forward and moving to stand up. His knees felt wobbly, his body aching all over from the trauma of this so-called test. "Just get it over and done with. I don't think I can take anymore of your stupid games," he muttered, his language changing from his usual polite nature to something close to Bakura's vocabulary.

He was only mildly surprised when he heard Ryou's voice again, this time coming from another area. He turned to look at his Yadonushi, who appeared to have just appeared out of thin air. He closed his eyes and sighed: this game was really tiring him out and he would rather it just come to a swift and painless end. The moment he heard Ryou ask if it was over, however, he knew it wasn't. The Thief King slowly walked to his Hikari, moving to hold him just loosely enough to support him. Their link had been re-established too, but it was weak - probably only working because they had some sort of physical contact with each other.

Shadii's eyes narrowed at him before looking at the Thief King, "You're playing in this too, Tomb Robber. The last test is the test of justice."

Bakura smirked, finding the idea of a test of 'Justice' very interesting. "Justice?" He repeated slowly. The thief let out a hollow, humourless laugh. "Hmph. Since when do you know anything about justice?" The entire idea of this test was ridiculous. There was no way Ryou could lose this one, and an even smaller chance now that he and his Yami were both going to be playing. But that kind of worried Bakura: this was a test for _Ryou_, was it not? So why did he have to participate too? Unless he wasn't being tested, and instead was simply a prop in the next challenge.

The area around them seemed to shift, and though it didn't look any different save for the sudden disappearance of Shadii, something still felt... off. But nothing happened yet. Bakura took this time to face Ryou, gazing at the cut on his face and sighing heavily. "This shouldn't last," he muttered to himself. Their real bodies weren't in the Shadow Realm, so any physical damage they took here wouldn't carry over to the real world. The same couldn't be said about the emotional damage, though. "It won't hurt for very long. You're almost finished this test, so we can both be out of here soon, all right Yadonushi? Just focus on the next task." It wouldn't do to devote all his energy to comforting his Hikari right now, not when there was still that anticipation of what would come next. Bakura would be sure to make up for this experience later, if given the chance.

He was about to open his mouth to speak again when his words were suddenly replaced with a shocked cry. He fell to his knees, looking around wildly for what had struck him, then found that his wrists had been shackled together and that he had been tied to ... well, nothing. But he still couldn't move himself enough to stand or get out of this trap. The Thief King growled lowly, thinking he knew just what was going on. If he was right, then this was going to be easy - painfully so. Bakura stopped struggling and looked up at Ryou, expression showing just how angry he felt at this. "I think we just found out what your next test is," he muttered, watching as a few things materialized around the boy. Though the Shadows were somewhat obscuring his vision, he could see something glinting silver (a blade of some sort?), some rope, and what looked to be a sort of scarf. There were probably other things there, too, but he couldn't see them. He laughed and looked back down at his feet. "Test of Justice," he whispered. How cruelly ironic this was. Bakura tried to tell Ryou what he would have to do, but by now his voice had become strained and he couldn't speak._ Another condition of the test, I guess,_ he thought.

Ryou's eyes only narrowed upon hearing the thief king's voice but said nothing of the matter. He felt far too exhausted- far too tired to even think properly. However, their reunion was cut short the moment Bakura was shackled onto something that held him up somewhat. Soon, things appeared in front of him, causing more confusion for the boy. Looking at it from the perspective of the gods, the game was a little too simple. It was a basic test if Ryou could see the good and the bad- pass judgment on the people. He trudged forward, holding the dagger at one hand and the scarf at the other. He placed the scarf around his mouth, walking towards his Yami. The said darkness was pulled down to his knees by the invisible force, causing Ryou to drop down as well. His eyes were weary and one could tell that he was not thinking clearly. _'Yami-sama, I know that Shadii would want me to kill you,'_ he thought, wishing that the mind link was working now that they were so close to each other. He pulled the scarf down a little, pressing his lips against the thief king's.

The choice was simple, but it was quite odd as to why Ryou would even place a scarf around his mouth. Ryou could not help but bite his lower lip in anxiousness, wishing that he was not this tired and at the same time, he wished that it was not Bakura that he had to pass judgment on. "I love you," he said through the scarf though his voice was a little bit muffled. He brought the dagger up, looking as if he was about to strike someone. His eyes were fixated on the dark being in front of him, trying to read Bakura's emotions through all the agitation and other feelings he was having at the moment. The boy's grip on the dagger only tightened, looking as if he was really intent on killing someone. Blood had to be shed in order to satisfy the game and just knowing that he had to part with his thief king truly pained the boy in so many different levels. He then pulled on the dagger; the strength that he placed on the dagger was quite obvious. Blood stained their clothes; Ryou's eyes were shut close before slumping forward, wheezing at the same time. The whole idea of the scarf truly helped- it held back Ryou's scream after all or muffled it in a had been staring up at Ryou, smirking confidently and waiting for what he knew was coming. He had been expecting to be killed - executed, really - and was unafraid. He was the King of Thieves, unafraid of death.

Even if he ended up having his life snuffed out, he would find a way back. He always had. He always would. So when the strike never came, he had been surprised. "Yadonushi, what are you-?" But he cut himself off when he realized just what had happened. Immediately, he was freed, then he rushed over to his Hikari and held his hand.

He blinked a little in order to see the damage that has been done, immediately yanking the scarf off of his mouth. After a few seconds, he started wheezing and coughing, struggling to keep awake. He collapsed to the floor and it was apparent as to who the blade touched in the first place. The dagger was deeply pressed against his stomach, the blood of the innocent sprawled all over the floor of the Shadow Realm. The shadows did not even dare to come near the boy, shocked by the apparent glow around him. The boy looked as if he was shining, as if he was this beacon of life in a world cloaked in darkness. It was true, Ryou was tainted but at the same time, his actions were justified. Ryou held on the dagger again, swiftly pulling it out so less blood would leave his system. He laughed nervously, watching his Yami as he was released by the invisible chains that bound him in place. "Like I would actually kill my thief king," he whispered, gasping a little as the blood loss kept him out of breath. He laughed dryly, extending his arms in order to hold his hand. Ryou eventually found the thief's hands, covering them in his blood.

"You idiot," he told him. "Why would you do something like that? Killing yourself instead of - why?" He sighed and kissed his Hikari. It was weird, because he did appreciate the fact that Ryou was willing to kill himself in order to save his Yami, but still... he didn't have to! Bakura could find his way back from death, but could Ryou? If he died in here, then...

Shadii was quite perplexed with everything. He understood that the boy felt something for the thief- possibly even love him to a certain extent. The real question was: why is it that the boy even passed the test in the first place? Did he not fail because he did not pass judgment on the thief king? The Egyptian man could not satisfy his curiosity, choosing to simply ask the boy the answer to his queries. "Ryou Bakura, why did you not pass judgment on the thief king instead? Why did you choose to hurt yourself instead of going for the obvious?" he asked, trying to comprehend why the gods allowed his answer in the first place. Ryou took in a deep breath as he mustered all of his strength to talk to the 'invisible' voice that came out of nowhere, "I cannot judge other people based on what I see and what I know from them. I can only judge myself. No one can judge Bakura-sama, not even the gods themselves," he whispered.

After a few moments, Shadii appeared with the Millennium Key at hand. He looked at the thief king before looking at the boy. He was truly something- to be able to change the thief king like that and at the same time, to pass these tests in a very creative way. Shadii always thought that the answers to these tests were one sided- that they was only one solution to everything. He raised the boy's head a little before slipping the lace around his head. The metals made a soft clang the moment the Millennium Ring and the Millennium Key touched each other. Ryou looked up at his Yami weakly, gripping on his hand as hard as he could but he could only muster a soft squeeze. "Can we go home, Yami-sama?" he asked weakly, closing his eyes in the process. The soft glow around him was dissipating quickly and although their real bodies would be untouched, everyone knew that the moment your soul dies in the Shadow Realm, you would eventually lose your life in the real world as well. Ryou bit his lower lip, his breath becoming a little shakier every minute.

Shadii soon appeared before them, and just as he had promised, gave the Key to Ryou. That managed to snap Bakura out of his thoughts. He stayed silent while they spoke, and though he understood why Ryou had passed the test, he still felt strange about it. Like he had cheated somehow... and oddly enough, he was proud of that. Or he would be, if he wasn't so worried. He smiled softly and watched Shadii disappear as he touched the Millennium Key. "Of course, Ryou," he whispered. "We're going home... right now."

* * *

**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 13**

"No, not weak. Never weak," he breathed. Wow, there really was something wrong with him if he was being this gentle and comforting. It wasn't like him at all. But what he said was true; Ryou wasn't weak, especially not after going through what he just had. He didn't say anything at all about the Millennium Key, just accepted it when it was draped over him. He looked down at it sadly and pulled away, thinking about what Ryou had just said. Fulfilling his dream... he was right. It was so close, but still, so far away... he smirked, still looking sad about something. Something within him was telling him that he shouldn't be so trusting. What if the past just repeated itself again? Ryou would go running to the Pharaoh, just like before, they would be separated, and he would have to start over. Or even worse, the Pharaoh would achieve his final rest before Bakura could get his revenge.


	13. Falling out

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. I see Love me Tender as more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

**If you wish to read a darker story or just a different side of Tendershipping, check out BURY MY TENDER HEART! **I hope that you guys can give BMTH the same love that you give to LMST! :)

I miss the days wherein I can upload chapters everyday and I miss hearing feedback from my readers so yeah, Chapter 13 is here to meet with those requests. While I still cannot upload chapters everyday, I will try my hardest to upload them as fast as I could. :) I was actually waiting for March to upload this new chapter but I just couldn't wait! I hope that you like this chapter! :)

**Chapter Warning: **Slight Fever-induced Euroshipping (Seto Kaiba x Ryou Bakura). Also, Yami's being paranoid again!

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**Chapter 13:** Falling out.

There was a small flash of light, and the next thing Bakura knew, he was awake. He blinked a few times, realizing that he was lying down on the floor of Ryou's home. Naturally, the first thing he did was sit up and try to contact his Hikari. _Yadonushi! Are you okay?_ He thought quickly. He was panicking, yes, but only because of what had happened. The thief got up right away and dashed to get his coat, intent on going to find his Hikari and make sure he was all right. Bakura was still irritated with what had happened and cursed Shadi in his mind for putting Ryou through all those horrible tests... but he had passed, albeit by nearly killing himself, and had managed to get the Millennium Key.

But why had Shadi gone out of his way to give his Items to Ryou? He was supposed to give them to the Pharaoh. Had this all been a ruse? Maybe what the Egyptian had really set out to do was make Ryou question himself by presenting all those trials. Yami Marik had weakened him, Amane had questioned what was important to him, the illusion of the Thief King made him doubt what he was doing, and the final test... it had probably been to get him to sever his connection to the Thief King, in a sense. But he hadn't. Maybe these tests were all just a way to ensure that Ryou would give his Millennium Items to the Pharaoh instead of the tomb robber in the end? It made sense, but at the same time... it would never happen, not as long as Bakura had anything to do with it. He loved Ryou, yes, but he wouldn't let the boy's loyalty to his friends get in his way. Not again.

Bakura made no noise as he moved, not even to respond to his Yadonushi. He knew that the boy was back from the Shadow Realm, but was he all right? Was he hurt still, or had he changed at all? He did seem to be somewhat unstable while he was there, even going so far as to adopt some of his Yami's habits and mannerisms while they were there.

* * *

Ryou was rudely awakened by the sudden splash of water on his face. He stirred a little, sitting up when he realized that he was still in the dark alleyway. All of the people were rushing to get under something in order to avoid getting wet. The streets were also clogged, cars everywhere trying to get to their place of destination. Ryou dug into his pocket, realizing that the Millennium Eye was still there. The Millennium Ring was still on him along with the new trinket he got from Shadi. Ryou shot his head up the moment he heard Bakura's voice inside his head again. He could not help but sigh momentarily, liking the feeling of that certain intrusion in his head. He gulped slightly, wondering if the Bakura in the Shadow Realm was the real Bakura. He never knew if Bakura was pulled into the game as well, after all. _'I just got back from the Shadow Realm, Yami-sama,'_ he said through the mind link. He coughed a little, brushing some dust that got caught on his long sleeves. The turtle neck was making him a little too warm, especially due to the congested area around him.

The Hikari fought his way through the crowd, eventually reaching a place where the streets were already empty. He halted as soon as he faced a familiar white-haired thief. He was reluctant, trying to understand what the tests were for in the first place. If one would think things through, Ryou cheated his way through all of the tests- not really wanting to give the Millennium Items to anyone but Bakura. They were about two meters apart and yet his heart was already racing from excitement. Just the thought that Bakura was only steps away from him truly set him off already. He took a step forward, the sound of the rain only getting even harder and harder at every passing minute. "Bakura-sama," he whispered, touching his face at the same time. At that sudden act, Ryou widened his eyes when realized that this was the real Bakura. It only took him a split second to pull him to the nearest alleyway and pull him close to him. His heartbeat was resonating in his ears, tears trickling down his cheeks but not due to his own accord.

It was weird how quickly he found Ryou, considering he hadn't known where he was going. Maybe he was just drawn to him, even without the Millennium Ring to guide him. Or perhaps he was still so in tune with his Millennium Item that he was subconsciously using it, even though it wasn't on his person. Whatever it was that had led him to Ryou, Bakura was glad. He let the boy drag him into an alleyway and pull him close. The thief reciprocated the embrace and wrapped his arms around Ryou, squeezing him comfortingly and closing his eyes. He just melted into this feeling, taking in a deep breath and letting his senses go for a moment. Right now, Ryou was everything, even if just for now.

Ryou started apologizing for what happened in the Shadow Realm. The boy did not know that the actual Bakura was pulled in after all. For all he knows, the Bakura there was only a pigment of his imagination. After a few seconds of sobbing on the thief's chest, he parted from the thief, sniffling slightly. He brushed the tears from his eyes and cheeks before laughing a little. "You must think that I'm really weak for crying this much, Bakura-sama," he whispered, taking off the Millennium Key from his neck. He then placed it on the thief, like a medal that he just won. "Shadi said that the Millennium Key was my prize for overcoming the tests. I think he was looking forward to seeing me give this to the pharaoh," he mumbled, trying to understand as to why the Egyptian was so narrow-minded. Did he not understand that the boy utterly loved Bakura so much- to the extent that he was willing to die for the said thief king? The objectives of those tests were clearly not met and at the same time, they just got a hold of the sixth Millennium Item.

The only problem left for them was the Millennium Puzzle- Ryou's biggest task. The boy looked up at his Yami, his hand finding the thief's cheek once more. He caressed it a little before brushing some droplets of rain that managed to hit his face. "We're so close to fulfilling your dream," he whispered, silently wondering if what the thief said was completely true. Would they truly have the world to themselves after the destruction of the world? By now, the boy was slightly reluctant. At the back of his mind, he wanted to stay on THIS Earth with Bakura- to even grow old with him if it was possible. However, he was torn between what he wanted and what Bakura wanted and everyone knows that at the end of the day, he would end up leaning towards what Bakura wanted. "I'd go anywhere if it means I can be with you," he whispered before pressing their lips together. Ryou wanted to be Bakura's voice of reason. He wanted to tell him that this was not the right way to go but then again, who was he to stop the 3000 year grudge of the thief king? One thing confused Ryou though. Why is it that he could not stop calling him Bakura-sama?

"No, not weak. Never weak," he breathed. Wow, there really was something wrong with him if he was being this gentle and comforting. It wasn't like him at all. But what he said was true; Ryou wasn't weak, especially not after going through what he just had. He didn't say anything at all about the Millennium Key, just accepted it when it was draped over him. He looked down at it sadly and pulled away, thinking about what Ryou had just said. Fulfilling his dream... he was right. It was so close, but still, so far away... he smirked, still looking sad about something. Something within him was telling him that he shouldn't be so trusting. What if the past just repeated itself again? Ryou would go running to the Pharaoh, just like before, they would be separated, and he would have to start over. Or even worse, the Pharaoh would achieve his final rest before Bakura could get his revenge.

He touched the Millennium Key, vaguely remembering that Ryou had been going somewhere when he had been stopped to get tested like this. Something quickly went through his mind, making him wonder about if his doubts would actually come to something. If Ryou did seem like he would be going to the Pharaoh, he could easily stop him. Maybe not by suppressing his soul as he had in the past, but with the Millennium Key in his possession... no, he couldn't think like that. Not now. But if things ever came to that... he had his insurance.

Bakura closed his eyes again, smirking confidently. He was back to his normal self in a matter of seconds. "Anywhere...? Even to the brink of death itself?" He opened his eyes, gazing seriously at Ryou. He lifted his hand to stroke the other's cheek, kissing him gently. In their new world, it would be more than difficult to survive... Bakura himself would be okay, as he was already a part of the darkness, but Ryou... he would have to give up a lot to be able to live in the world Bakura wanted to create for him. It would be painful, and for a while there would be the burden of just taking care of the boy... but in the end, it would be worth it. They could be together forever, spilling darkness and destruction wherever they went. It would be perfect.

At this point in time, Ryou truly felt reluctant to stay with Bakura. It was true, he loved Bakura with everything- even enough to cause his own death if need be. But now, he could clearly understand Bakura's reluctance to trust him as well. How can he trust someone who was not willing to trust him back? He thought that everything was alright and dandy- but apparently, it was not fine in Bakura's books. He pulled away from the thief's hold, looking sadly at the ground. The rain was drenching both of them- more of the thief than Ryou for he held his Yadonushi awfully close. "Bakura-sama, I don't think you understand," he stopped himself before he could say something else. So maybe, the doppelganger in his test was the mirror of Bakura's true emotions. Maybe, he truly thought that Ryou was nothing but a stupid nuisance and that he would gladly get rid of his former host. The pain in his heart hit him like a ton of bricks, possibly because he was wishing that Bakura would regard him as something more than a vessel.

Maybe Ryou wanted to change Bakura all along. He wanted to look forward to a life lived with him. Maybe Ryou wanted to somehow make Bakura forget the fact about his family and his land. Did he not cause enough destruction while he was living? Will he truly stop at nothing as long as the pharaoh's alive? His eyes narrowed a little, looking up at Bakura. He did not know as to where he was to Bakura. He has fulfilled almost all of the missions that were asked from him. He did the best he could to lie to the pharaoh and his partner but it seems as if Bakura was not done using him. Ryou clenched his hand into a fist, feeling agitated and irritated about everything. He was confused. He knew what he wanted and yet he wanted to fulfill what Bakura wanted- even if what he wants is the total opposite. Ryou never wanted to hurt anyone nor did he feel the need to lie and cheat through everything. He wanted everything to fall into place- to remain as peaceful as it can be but it seems that his wants were being covered by the need to help his Yami as much as possible.

Something had changed all of a sudden. The thief didn't know what it was, exactly, but it had a presence strong enough to alert him. Ryou just wanted to get away from him within an instant. Maybe the tests in the Shadow Realm had had more of an effect on Ryou than he had thought. Or had he heard those last thoughts and worries? No, that wasn't possible; because he had deliberately made sure that his mind had been blocked off at that point. He hadn't even wanted to do what had come to his mind! Damn it, why couldn't they just trust each other? He did love Ryou, more than he wanted to admit to himself, even, but he just couldn't completely trust him. He had done too much to convince him that he couldn't be trusted.

But that didn't mean things couldn't change... right? He didn't say anything in response to Ryou. He just let his Hikari leave, knowing that he was already late as it was. The Priest won't be happy, he thought to himself. Bakura sighed, looking away as Ryou spoke and then turned away. He was angry, both at himself and his Hikari. They didn't trust each other. They couldn't. Not yet, anyway. All Bakura could hope for now was that his Yadonushi didn't reveal anything or try and betray him.

"B-Bakura-sama, I..." his voice trailed off, a number of what-if's running through his mind. What if he needed to kill off Ryou in order to get the world he wanted? Would he truly get rid of Ryou just like that? What exactly is he to Bakura? Yes, part of him believes that the thief truly loves him but then again, what was the use of this love if it does not mean anything to Bakura? It was as if that Bakura loved him because it was the most convenient thing to do at the time. "Yes," he said quietly as an answer to his question. It took him so long- too long to answer the question which only reflected the confusion in his heart. In truth, Ryou simply said yes out of fear of losing the only person he has left. He looked away before sighing lightly. "I-I have to go," he whispered before turning on his heel and slightly pushing Bakura away. He was truly scared but one thing was for sure, he wanted to get away from Bakura. He needed to clear his thoughts and stay away from him as much as possible. Just thinking about him causes these bad feelings to resurface and it was something that Ryou did not want to happen.

He turned and looked at Bakura, smiling even though his eyes reflected the sadness in him, "I still have to go to Mr. Kaiba. I-I-I don't want to be late. I l-" he hesitated before sighing lightly. He did not know why it was so hard for him to tell him those three words that he has been running on and on for a couple of days now. "I'll see you later. We still have to go to Marik, right?" he asked, not even giving time for Bakura to answer. He then turned his back on him, running away from the said thief king. Bakura, too, turned to leave the alleyway, to browse town a little bit. If he happened to run into Yuugi or someone else he would rather not see... well, he could always hide, but if they explicitly saw him... he always had been good at imitating his host when he needed to.

* * *

Ryou did not want to be around to be scolded at by him- totally scared that he might ask him to give him the Millennium Items just like what the doppelganger did in the Shadow Realm. Soon enough, he stepped in to the carpeted floors of the Kaiba Corporation's conference room, a long table greeting him. He was quite embarrassed, really, showing up in what seems like a business meeting with Kaiba all drenched but it can't be helped with the sudden rain showers here and there. "I-I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Kaiba."

It took a moment for Seto Kaiba to look up from the papers he had been reading; when he did, he didn't look happy in the least. He didn't explicitly pardon Ryou or give him even the slightest 'it's fine', instead just nodding. He wasted no time in diving right in to what he wanted to know. "I assume you know why you're here?" He asked, lacing his fingers together and staring at his classmate from across the table they had been seated at. To say the least, Kaiba was not pleased with the boy's appearance: he looked as if he had fallen down, gotten dirty and then got caught in the rain. But he couldn't expect any less seeing as the sudden showers were unexpected.

He didn't give Ryou much time before continuing: "I don't have a lot of time to sit around talking. So why don't you just tell me about why you quit so suddenly after what happened?" He assumed Ryou knew, but just in case, added on, "Something in a storage room was stolen the night before you resigned and two of the night guards were found dead. Do you know anything about it?"

This meeting was quickly turning into an enquiry. Seto did not believe in ancient spirits or magic of any sort, but he did know that Ryou Bakura was friends with Yuugi Mutou and that said boys had a way of getting involved in somewhat shady incidents, even if it wasn't directly their fault. It seemed that crazed plots followed them and their friends, and Kaiba was having none of that at _his_ company, especially when something so precious to him was taken. He hadn't known at first what the golden Item was, until it had been explained to him. Of course he didn't believe what he was told, but he had put it aside for protection and possibly later inspection. He couldn't deny that it had a strange sort of aura, so it would have been interesting to analyze.

Ryou shot his head up before fidgeting where he stood. He was not asked to sit down so knowing his rather polite nature, he would much rather choose to stand up. The boy sighed lightly, "My father has asked me to work for his museum," he whispered, almost as if he was feeling that he was shrinking into something. Seto had that power after all to cause people to feel as if they were close to nothing. The boy looked up, cursing in his mind as to why the Air Conditioning Units had to be placed on high at this particular moment. He felt cold and he was drenched all over- not a very good combination indeed. Ryou was still anxious. If only Seto knew how right he was about the crazy plots around Ryou's life then maybe he'd even gloat about it for some reason. Ryou felt wobbly standing in front of Seto like that. He felt the urge to sit down but he also did not want to look rude in front of his former boss nor did he want to ruin the leather chairs in the said Conference Room. Needless to say, there was a certain air of anxiousness around Ryou.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. The museum? In a way, that made sense seeing as his father did have a job there, though he couldn't remember what it was. Was it really just a coincidence that he happened to switch jobs immediately after the Millennium Rod went missing? It couldn't have been. Then again, Kaiba was suspicious by nature, so even if he had been given proof, he still would have dwelled on the what-if's. Besides, the boy looked... uneasy? Anxious? Nervous? He couldn't place exactly what it was, but the feeling radiating off of Ryou Bakura was doing nothing but making Kaiba question him even more.

"Something was stolen? I made sure I locked up for the night and I placed the keys in the deposit box," he said, perfecting that 'I am so innocent' act of his. By now, the vision of the brunette sitting behind the table was slowly getting doubled and even tripled in Ryou's vision. He held his head a little before shaking his head, "I don't know anything about these things. It's such a shame that two guards died that night." He remained quiet, waiting for the young CEO to talk. After all, he did not want to give off information that was not asked of him. If he said something else, then maybe this whole thing would be pinned on him. Just talking about that night truly made Ryou feel rather queasy. Actually, anything about Bakura made him feel disoriented and he was not even sure as to why he was feeling this way. Did he not love Bakura as much as he said he did? He looked up at Seto wearily, leaning against the chair for support. "If you don't need anything else from me, I'd rather stay at home before the rain gets even worse."

He let out a short, unamused laugh, so strangely similar to Bakura's. "Yes, something important was stolen. Apparently you didn't lock up as well as you thought?" Because if there had been even one room unlocked, it would have allowed anyone to come in, even if they hadn't been planning on breaking and entering. As for the sympathy over the guards that had killed themselves? Ryou might have felt something, but Kaiba didn't, especially because they were actually the most likely to have stolen the Rod. Still, he wanted to get the whole story, and made sure to question anyone that even seemed remotely suspicious. And Ryou? Well, with the way he was acting now, he was getting close to the top of the list.

Seto shook his head. "I'm not done with you yet," he snapped. Though he too was eager to get on with his busy schedule, he still needed answers. If Ryou really didn't know anything about the late-night activities of the other day, then this next question wouldn't take very long at all. "I want you to tell me everything about that night. Everything you did, anything you saw. The security tapes were all erased, so I don't know anything that happened."

* * *

Just at that moment, Yami was walking outside of the hospital. He wanted to be out so he could inspect Marik's case. He felt a slight Dark Magic when he came near the said Egyptian but he was not too sure if that was an outside work or Marik's innate power in the first place. He sighed lightly. _'Aibou, I don't think these events are too far apart. Especially with what Kaiba said about something getting stolen from his company. Only one person is bold enough to steal the Millennium Rod just like that. Do you think that the other Marik's back?'_ Yami asked through the link, pushing the thought away from the whole Ryou thing. He did feel bad about battering the boy like that and he truly looked as if he was innocent. Suddenly, he saw a white-haired man pass by them but his eyes were a little angular compared to Ryou. The pharaoh widened his eyes before running after the thief king, placing a hand rather heavily on the boy's shoulder. "Tomb robber!" he exclaimed before turning the boy around. Surprisingly enough, what he saw was the boy he was talking to a while ago.

Yuugi was thinking along the same lines as his other self. _I don't know,_ he said. He had thought for a moment that maybe it had been the other Marik, but if he was back... _Why would the real Marik be in a coma? They have the same body, right?_ He asked. But his attention was caught by the same thing as his Yami's, and he too was surprised to find that what he had thought was the Spirit of the Ring was actually his friend Ryou. They were just getting too worked up about all of this...

The second that Bakura felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the words 'Tomb Robber!' in that all-too-familiar voice, he froze up. He had tried not to be seen, but apparently his timing had been horrible. As fast as he could, he closed his eyes and tried to make himself seem like his Yadonushi. It wasn't too hard, because the rain had flattened his wild hair somewhat, and it wasn't too hard to imitate that look of innocence. He had become used to it after a time, after all. And, thankfully, he had tucked the Millennium Key underneath his shirt and done up his coat so that it was hidden well. The cord couldn't be seen past his collar.

_'I could have sworn who I saw was the other Bakura,'_ he told his partner through the link as he stared at him from top to bottom. The person in front of him had a different set of clothes on from this morning. He was also wearing a black coat- the other Bakura's signature. His eyes were a little darker than usual but when the pharaoh blinked and looked at it again, it was the same soft brown eyes that met with his gaze this morning. "You changed your clothes?" Yami said, trying to figure out as to what was off about Ryou this time. If only he knew that he was actually talking to his greatest enemy as of the moment, then maybe, he'd feel rather embarrassed about the whole thing. He tilted his head to the side, noticing that he was not wearing the Millennium Ring from this morning. "And where's the Ring?"

"A-ah! Yuugi-kun!" He exclaimed, trying his best to sound cheerful about meeting up with his 'friend.' But on the inside, all he could think was _Stupid, trusting Pharaoh. Leave me alone. I'm not your little gaming friend._ But he did seem suspicious, so Bakura could give him that. Still, it wasn't enough to stop him where he was.

"Yes, I just got back from seeing Kaiba," he lied. "I thought I should wear something a little nicer, you know, since he's... ah, intimidating." He knew he had use the wrong words, but Bakura was careful in making sure he had an expression to match what he was supposed to be feeling. And as if he, the great King of Thieves, would actually feel intimidated by that idiot Priest! "By the time I was ready to go, it started raining, so I grabbed a coat to try and keep dry... but the hood keeps falling off!" He laughed, gesturing to his wet hair. He was desperately wishing that he could just _leave_ already; he hated imitating Ryou, and even more so now because he couldn't just look into his mind to see how he would react to something. He had to go off what he remembered.

Sheepish grin fading, Bakura looked down at himself as if he were surprised that he didn't have the Millennium Ring. _Damn it. What did Ryou say earlier?_ He thought for a moment, then remembered. Praying what he remembered actually happened, he said, "Oh, right. You wanted me to take it off, didn't you? I left it at home because I didn't want to worry anyone. W-was I not supposed to?" He frowned, copying one of Ryou's uncertain, almost hurt expressions. He hoped he was doing a decent job of this imitation.

* * *

Ryou took a deep breath, his eyes closed while his breathing hitched a little. He was finding it harder to breathe at every passing minute, mostly due to the cool air that would prick his body from time to time. He could feel his temperature rise a little, his cheeks a little flushed from the apparent fever. He parted his lips to speak when Kaiba spoke up again. It was such a pain that the interrogation happened while he was still standing up. Heck, he was pissed off that Kaiba was being too inconsiderate not to ask him to take a seat. If it were up to him, he would graciously ask his guest to sit at any chair before starting this kind of interrogation. He slumped forward a little, wetting his lips to ease his apparent dehydration. He was tired- physically, mentally, and emotionally. The fact that he had a rift with his Yami before going here did not help either. He sighed lightly; now was not the right time to be stubborn. If he continued to act as if he could do this confrontation alone, then he could very much jump off of the ledge right now.

At that moment, he opened up the mind link between the two of them, something he learned recently. He knew how to zone out Bakura and how to keep his innermost thoughts to himself- not that there were a lot in the first place. _'Yami-sama... I-I don't feel too well,'_ he said in the mind link, his bodily pains and aches radiating through the mind link. He could have sworn he felt a little bit of panic from the other side of the link but he was not sure if it really was from Bakura. After all, he was still treading in thin ice as he spoke to his Yami. "I finished the checking the financial documents and filed them accordingly, just like you asked me to, Mr. Kaiba. I then locked up the room to my office," he said, trying his best to stay on his two feet, looking at the rather wet blob beneath him. "I also locked up in the Storage Room and then proceeded to going home," he said, walking towards the young CEO before placing the two keys near his desk. Those were the only keys he had to this place and he somewhat hated himself for going in to the Storage Room in the first place.

Kaiba could not afford to waste anymore time here interrogating Ryou if he wasn't going to get anywhere. He still didn't believe that everything had been locked up properly, but then again how could he have imagined that someone would even so much as dare to pick a lock and defy his security system, let alone actually manage to get in? He was just slightly too arrogant to admit that maybe he had made a mistake or underestimated whoever had stolen from him.

Ryou gripped tight on the table before pushing off of it in order to give him some sort of a head start in walking. Call it a friendly push if you may but it was not enough to get him walking. Instead, he found himself clumsily falling over the CEO, pushing both of them off of the swivel chair and onto the floor. _'Kura... My head hurts,'_ he said through the link, clutching onto Seto as he tried to regain his breathing. His body temperature was already off the charts and yet, he felt the need to move towards the nearest source of warmth. Unfortunately, it was the boss underneath him- mostly going to urge him to get the heck off of him. Ryou did not even care if he was going to get scolded at. He was not thinking straight, his grip on the brunette's shirt only tightening as he tried to regain control of his body. "St-Stupid... F-Fever," he said in between shivers, his eyes shut already. He turned his head upwards, looking at the man beneath him. He was breathing through his mouth as he moved closer towards Seto, their lips near each other. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba," he whispered before completely fainting on top of the blue-eyed man. He pressed his cheek against the other's cheek, hoping to get some more of that warmth that he secretly hoped was Bakura's warmth instead.

The CEO stood up, about to dismiss Ryou, when he was knocked over onto the floor. Great, now the boy was getting him wet, and he seemed reluctant to get up, only getting closer. "Get off me, Bakura!" He snapped, but it was no use. Kaiba sighed in irritation; he could tell that the person on top of him was sick just by the heat he was radiating and the way he was shivering. What could he do about it, though? He didn't have any actual medical training, so the best he could do was call a doctor.

Squirming out from underneath the boy, Kaiba managed to get down and pick him up. He was surprised at how light the other was - it was like he was underfed! With a little bit of difficulty, he managed to leave the room they were in and find one of his employees to call for help. He wondered if there was anybody around that could take Ryou home, since he knew that the boy's father usually wasn't around and he lived alone anyway. The best thing he could do was call Yuugi, but that wasn't something he looked forward to doing. He had wasted enough time today as it was.

Seto laid the body down on a bed in a spare room there, usually used for just such an emergency as someone fainting. It happened so rarely, though, that nobody else was there to treat possible patients. He cursed to himself, making a note to create a permanent job for this.

* * *

Everything the thief said totally made sense but something was still off about the boy. If he really left the Item at home, then why was this dark energy still radiating around him. _'Aibou, Something is still not right,'_ he said through the link as he looked at the thief in front of him. He did not have the same aura of innocent around him and it was as if he did not make it a point to even try to hide the dark air around him. Maybe it was because he truly did not understand the Millennium Items? Whatever it was, if it was really the thief king, then he would have called him dumb pharaoh by now. He knew that the other Bakura could not resist taunting him even just the slightest bit.

Yuugi wasn't sure what his Yami meant._ I don't see what the problem is_, he thought to himself. _But then again... it is kind of weird that he would take it off so soon. Before, he was really reluctant to let it go._ Did he really want them to trust him that much? Or was this all just a ruse? It was so confusing with Bakura! The boy almost never let them in when he was having a hard time of things, and even when he wasn't, he was usually too polite to trouble them by explaining how he felt. He was just so... isolated. Yuugi felt bad, but he knew it wasn't his fault. They all tried to get Bakura to open up, but they had stopped when they realized it was useless. Now, however, he wished he had tried harder.

He took his hand off of the boy, still looking in his eyes before sighing lightly. "I'm sorry for scaring you again, Bakura. If the Spirit of the Ring is blackmailing you into doing something he wants, do not fall for it. I can help you, Bakura-kun if you let me," he said, gaze unnerving as he looked at the thief king.

Bakura was grateful when the link between himself and Ryou opened up again, but he immediately started worrying when he heard what the other was thinking. He was unwell again? And he was at Kaiba Corp right now, so he couldn't exactly go get him. Besides, he had to deal with the Pharaoh first, as much as he didn't want to. So it was with much regret that the thief sent a quick, _Hold on, I'll do what I can. Try to get out of there and wait for me, all right?_

He turned his attention back to Yuugi... or rather, the other Yuugi. "S-Spirit of the Ring? Again? Yuugi-kun, I told you that I don't understand what you mean." But he paused to think for a second. If he could get some information from them now... why not at least try it? He could find out what Yuugi and the Pharaoh knew and what they didn't. "But... u-um... if... if something did happen with this Spirit, or whatever, how would I know? I d-don't want to worry you... but I really don't know what to look out for." He hoped he sounded innocent enough. _Damn Pharaoh, hurry it up. I don't have time to waste with you._

Yami nodded, sighing lightly. "I'm sorry for dragging you in to this, Bakura. I guess the Spirit of the Ring is truly gone. You should visit Marik before visiting hours are over. After all, you are good friends, right?" he asked, smiling at the boy. Who was he to judge Ryou about all of this? The boy was still clearly the same person, right? Yami waved a little before walking back to the Game Shop. _'I guess I really am growing a little bit paranoid. I'm sorry, Aibou for harassing your friend like that. I guess he truly does not know about all of this.'_ Suddenly, he received a text from Joey who was still in the hospital. All of their friends were still there but Yuugi had to go back to the Game Shop for his shift. Yami widened his eyes at the sudden message, knowing the gravity of the said message.

* * *

**From: **Jounouchi Katsuya  
**Subject: **HOLY COW!

Ishizu woke up already but it seems that she does not remember anything from the attacker. She also does not have the Millennium Tauk with her but she said that she simply left it in Egypt while she was there. Let's visit again tomorrow and see if she can remember anything from then?

* * *

Roland walked inside the room, somewhat shocked that his boss was on a chair and technically looking after someone that was not his brother. He was one of the most trusted employees in the Kaiba Corporation and not once in his long years of service did he find his boss actually caring for someone else. "You called for me, boss?" he asked, although he was quite sure that it was due to the ill boy on the bed. Ryou Bakura, the former secretary of the youngest CEO of the Kaiba Corporation, was on the bed, shivering a lot. The boy's face was deep red and it looked as if he was having a hard time breathing. The boy did not have immediate relatives in the vicinity and calling his father was not really the best choice of what to do with the situation. Roland looked at the brunette, wondering as to why he was drenched in the first place. Wait a minute; did he not meet with the boy in the Conference Room? The room itself was around a three minute walk from the Clinic and it was such a shock that Seto would actually take time to bring the boy here.

"I can take care of it from here," he said, asking a doctor to get to the head office as fast as she could. After the initial examination, the doctor walked towards Seto, chart at hand as she took off the stethoscope. "His fever is very high as of the moment but I already got him to take some medications. He should have a lot of bed rest. It looks as if this boy has gone through a lot for the past few days, Mr. Kaiba. He'll be alright though and up and running to work soon," she said, thinking that he was still an employee of the company. After all, there was no other reason as to why the CEO would even ask for him to be checked right. After a few minutes, Ryou turned a little, feeling as if he wanted to melt into the sheets. The lights were off as he tried to comprehend as to where he was in the first place. _'K-Kura sama..? I think I lost consciousness or something. I-I don't know where I am,'_ he said through the link, grazing his fingers along the sheets. The sheets felt soft and a little unused.

He tried to make his vision a little less grainy, which was a little hard, considering that the lights were still off. He pushed up the bed a little, realizing that he was wearing what seems like a hospital gown of some sorts. Ryou's attention was then pulled to his right, realizing that the CEO was there, typing a way on his laptop. "M-Mr. Kaiba," he greeted, trying to comprehend as to why the man was still in the room. What exactly happened before he fainted? He widened his eyes, realizing the situation that they were in just a few moments ago. _'I almost... Oh damn,'_ he thought, feeling rather awkward about all of this. His face was a little redder compared to before- if such a feat was even possible. After all, he could already compete with a tomato when it comes to color. "I-I'm sorry for the way I acted, Mr. Kaiba. It was inappropriate for me to do that. I should head home already for I have caused you much trouble," he stated, staring down at the sheets. He could not bear to even look at Seto right now after what happened in the Conference Room. _'I-I'm still in the Kaiba Corporation, Yami-sama. In a clinic,'_ he said, wondering as to how he could get out of the building in the first place.

Seto looked up briefly from what he was doing, letting out a small, almost imperceptible sigh of relief when he noticed that Ryou was awake. At least now he could go back to what he was doing, at an actual desk with all the papers he needed instead of at the laptop that was halfway drained. He closed it for now, planning to bring it with him when he left in a moment. Still, before he left, he felt it was appropriate to make sure everything was all right. "You fainted," he explained. "So we called a doctor. You should be fine to go home, but if you don't feel up to it..." he didn't exactly want to offer his help, but what could he do? He left his sentence unfinished, but the offer was there despite being unspoken.

* * *

In the meantime, Bakura was still speaking with the Pharaoh, and starting to get impatient. Ryou hadn't said anything to him for a few minutes, not even a response to what he had said, so it started to worry the thief. And on top of that, Yuugi hadn't given him any information at all! How was he supposed to work with that? Well, he supposed it didn't matter, because he - Ryou, really - was no longer under suspicion, it seemed. "Ah. I will, don't worry. But I have an errand to run at the museum for my father, so it'll have to wait. I really hope he and his sister are okay." Though really, the thief hoped that Marik wasn't.

He was just about to leave when he heard the beeping of Yuugi's phone. He didn't have time to worry about the message right now. "I'll see you later, all right Yuugi-kun? Maybe we could get together to play games again." He almost laughed at that. There would be plenty of time for more games... ones that Yuugi and the Pharaoh could not, and would not, win.

Bakura then walked away in the direction of the museum, but once out of Yuugi's sight, turned and took a different route that would lead him to Kaiba's office._ All right, I'm coming to get you. Can you get out of there to wait for me?_ The idea that he had fallen unconscious made him uneasy, but that didn't flow through the mind link. He didn't need to fill Ryou with even more doubt - he had had enough for a lifetime already. Hopefully Kaiba had taken care of him properly instead of leaving him in the middle of the floor.

As Yuugi watched Bakura leave, he frowned. _Well, that was weird... _he thought._ Partner, why didn't Bakura-kun get that message? He got the other one from earlier at the same time we did... do you think he left his phone at home? _It was probably unlikely that he had. Jounouchi had sent that text, so he probably sent Ryou the message too. He had earlier, hadn't he? So why not now? As much as he hated to admit it, now Yuugi was the one getting suspicious. But he put those thoughts aside as probably being a coincidence. He did trust Ryou, but so much bad stuff was happening lately... was it really all just nothing?

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**PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER 14:** Making Amends.**  
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He could not help but feel a little bit hurt that his Yami did not tell him. Heck, he was not going to tell Bakura as to what happened in the Conference Room so they were even, right? "It's nothing to worry about. I-I just want to know what's going on between us," he said, pulling back the topic to them once more. In truth, he was quite confused with what was going on. Were they going out? Were they in a relationship? Acquaintances with benefits? Pleasure Partners? What exactly was the status of their relationship? "What exactly are... we?"


	14. Making Amends

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

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Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

**If you wish to read a darker story or just a different side of Tendershipping, check out BURY MY TENDER HEART! **I hope that you guys can give BMTH the same love that you give to LMST! :)

Here's Chapter 14! I would like to dedicate this chapter to the person that has consistently reviewed the chapters of this story, Partners-n-Crime! Thanks for the support, PNC! :) Thank you to all of the reviewers and to the readers of the story! If you have enough time, please drop a comment if you like where the story's going! :) Thank you.

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Chapter 14:** Making Amends

Ryou could not feel but be rather shocked at the sudden kindness coming from the CEO. He had seen Seto get so worked up when it comes to Mokuba but nobody else. It was just appealing to know that this man actually had a soft side- or a human side if you think about it. He smiled at his former boss before getting out of bed. He still felt a little bit dizzy but upon Bakura's orders of meeting up with him outside the said building. He yawned a little, "I should get going. I have been too bothersome for an ex-employee," he muttered, trying to locate his clothes. Luckily, a female nurse gave him a fresh set of clothes and his old ones in a paper bag. He blushed the moment he realized that the Millennium Ring was on him, presumably because they could not take it off of him that easily. He changed into a long-sleeved polo and some slacks. To be honest, it was a little big for him but they were dry clothes so he did not bother to question them.

When he was all cleaned up, he heard from the female nurse that the clothes belonged to his classmate. For a split second, his face flushed, looking at the businessman in the room. "I'll return it after washing it. Don't worry, I'll dry clean them," he hurriedly said, rushing out of the room. He did not want anymore drama between them but knowing Seto, he would still keep up with the questions until the matter was resolved. Before Seto could even get a word in edge-wise, Ryou had gotten out of there. All he was going to say to the boy was that they would talk another time about what had happened if necessary (he didn't think it was) and that he didn't need to even bother cleaning the clothes or giving them back in the first place. He just rolled his eyes and left the room after his former employee, going to his real office to work on what needed to be done.

Ryou checked the phone in his bag, noticing he received two messages- one from Jounouchi and the other one from Yuugi. He decided to disregard it for now as he stuffed it in his pocket. He stepped out of the said building, looking for the quickest way to go home. He held the Millennium Ring, watching as they pointed to a certain direction. Ryou was so fixated on the item that he did not notice that he bumped against someone in the process.

Possibly because of his really high fever or really frail body, Ryou was forced to sit down due to the collision. He looked up at the person only to find a white-haired thief, cloaked in black. "Kura," he whispered, his heart racing again just with the thought of the thief. His heart was stupid, yes; at least what was his mind was telling him. All voices of reason was telling him that he should not even be with him right now and yet, he could not help but cling onto him for his dear life. Ryou stood up, wrapping his arms around the thief's waist as he looked for the sudden warmth in his Yami. His temperature was, of course, higher than his Yami's but it felt nice just having someone close to you. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Tozukuoh-sama. I felt it through the link. I should have not fainted like that," he said, burying his face on the other's neck. Ah yes, the warmth of his thief felt nice.

When Bakura felt something crash into him, he turned around right away; ready to hurt whatever had so carelessly walked into him. The day had not been kind to him, and now that he had just let the Millennium Puzzle slip out of his hands _again_ to try and protect himself (that's what he told to himself, but he knew it was really Ryou he was trying to protect) from the threat of Yuugi and the Pharaoh, he was ready to just about kill someone. But he calmed down immediately and helped Ryou up, a little surprised when he so readily clung to him. Hadn't his Yadonushi been angry with him just an hour ago? Or was it more? Less? Either way, they had been awkward before. And now he was irritated again because he had just let Ryou go when he was unwell. He could feel how hot the other was, and it wasn't in a good way at all.

Ryou did not want to pull away but he knew he had to, deducing that it was not normal to find two teenage boys hugging in the middle of a busy street. Since the rain stopped a few minutes ago, people were once again running about, trying to finish their tasks for the day. Ryou looked at the thief king, "Let's go home for now, please."

Bakura pulled Ryou away from him and put a hand firmly on his forehead, finding that it was worse than he had thought. He didn't say anything, but allowed himself to be led home after that. It was too much of a hassle to walk- especially when it was raining here and there. Their walk was completely silent save for the sound of their footsteps, and when they got home, Bakura was still quiet.

Ryou stumbled to get into the house, trying his best to reach the couch to no avail. Ryou collapsed on the floor upon taking his shoes off, looking up at his Yami and laughing nervously at the same time. "I think I need a new set of batteries," he joked, trying to make the air a little less awkward. Bakura didn't even crack a smile at Ryou's comment. Instead, he knelt down and wordlessly picked the boy up, carrying him over to the couch. He didn't like the fact that Ryou was sick, and he liked even less the fact that he was wearing someone else's clothes. It was strange to think about, but he just didn't... smell like himself. He had this aura about him that seemed like it belonged to someone else. Bakura didn't like that one bit.

He gently deposited the boy on the couch, and then let out a loud sigh, shaking his head and putting a palm to it. _What am I going to do with you?_ He wondered sadly. The thief left the room, staying away for a few minutes. The only evidence that he was still in the house was the noise of something clinking together. Bakura came back in soon enough with a steaming cup in his hands and placed it next to his Yadonushi. "Tea," he said quietly. He then rushed back into the kitchen to get some other things, namely things to put in his tea. "Couldn't remember what you liked in it." He looked away, blushing ever so slightly. It was almost as if he felt guilty about how he treated his Hikari... or maybe he was just embarrassed doing something like this. It was unlike him, after all.

He sighed again, and sat on the floor next to the couch, silently reaching into his pocket and pulling out the boy's phone. "A message from your friends...? That must have been what the Pharaoh..." he trailed off, hoping that Ryou hadn't heard. Maybe, if he was lucky, the boy would ignore that little slip-up or excuse it as something entirely unrelated. He could only hope. Bakura was not exactly keen on letting Ryou know that he had a run-in with Yuugi and had to impersonate him. Then again, it would be a good way to tell him that they trusted him now.

Bakura stared at the phone for a few minutes, and then gave it back to Ryou. "I don't know how to read the messages," he mumbled. The last time he had even seen a mobile phone was when he shared a body with Ryou, and even then he hadn't bothered to learn how to use it. It just seemed trivial to him.

Ryou took the phone before pressing the different buttons in order to get to the messages. In truth, he felt too tired to even read the said messages. After all, the fever was mixing up all of the letters in the first place. He just hoped that his Yami understood the characters. Then, he froze, remembering the fact that Bakura would only understand some of the words in the messages. Thankfully, his father bought this particular phone in Egypt so it had a function that would translate it in their native tongue. He then gave the phone to Bakura, smiling as he took a sip of his tea. Honestly, the tea was quite bitter and had a strong after taste. Ryou did not mind though, he was just happy to have something warm inside him, completely oblivious of the fact that his own temperature was really high. "I just thought you'd understand it better in Arabic," he said, shrugging lightly.

Bakura took the phone again but didn't read the message just yet. In a way, he was kind of dreading what it would say. He still remained silent, mostly because he was exhausted. Time was getting on and they had both already been through enough today. He put the phone down after reading the message quickly, but he didn't think about it much. One of them was about Ishizu - another loose end that had to be tied up. He sighed. "Ishizu can't remember anything... but we can't take that risk... later on we'll need to go take care of that..." he grunted a bit, closing his eyes. The other message, from Yuugi, he didn't even want to read. But he did anyway, putting the phone aside right after finishing.

He did not know as to why he felt the need to explain himself just now. Could he not have left it as something he would do for the person he loved or something? Whatever it was, Ryou surely was perplexed with his own actions. He pressed the rim of his tea cup, looking at the liquid jiggle in his hands a little. "I'm sorry," he started, knowing that they could not go on with this silence. Personally, the silence itself was deafening. He did not want to stay too distant from his Yami. He hated the fact that they knew what they had to do but they did not even do anything about it. He placed a hand on the space next to him, "Sit next to me," he whispered lightly. When the darkness finally did as he was told, he placed his head on the other's shoulder as an attempt to relax a bit. Thankfully, he was able to find the most comfortable position sitting like that.

He did as he was told, moving to sit next to Ryou. He remained silent still, waiting for his turn to speak, all the while feeling uneasy about this. He was sorry too, but it was hard for him to admit it. He hoped the tea would at least partially convey that message. He just closed his eyes and waited, knowing full well what was coming. It hurt. Hearing all this hurt. He knew he had not exactly been a wanted influence on Ryou's life, but now that they had shared all that they had... it felt weird. But he was taking some of that back, or at least trying to. Bakura shook his head. He understood, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything on that.

"You can't trust me and I can't trust you," he finally said, sighing lightly. He knew that in the past he betrayed his Yami. He was the one who arranged the ritual and everything but at the time, Ryou did not know his feelings towards the thief king. Didn't the past few days matter to him at all? Ryou gripped on the tea cup even more, but not enough to break the porcelain material.

"I thought I did not want you around, Kura. That was the reason as to why I asked them to separate you from me. I-I didn't think that I wanted to be with you as much as I do right now," he whispered. He did not know if it was because of the fever or if it was because of the sudden rush of emotions but he suddenly started crying. He wiped his cheeks with part of his sleeves before sighing lightly. "I assume that you had a run-in with the pharaoh today."

He could not help but feel a little bit hurt that his Yami did not tell him. Heck, he was not going to tell Bakura as to what happened in the Conference Room so they were even, right? "It's nothing to worry about. I-I just want to know what's going on between us," he said, pulling back the topic to them once more. In truth, he was quite confused with what was going on. Were they going out? Were they in a relationship? Acquaintances with benefits? Pleasure Partners? What exactly was the status of their relationship? "What exactly are... we?" he asked carefully, trying to figure out if he was using the right choice of words. He was quite unsure of what to do, frankly, and he would not blame Bakura if the thief king suddenly decided to storm out of the house. He just wanted to voice out his doubts because he could not contain the lingering emotions anymore. It hurt too much to keep it to himself.

The part about the Pharaoh, though... he would talk about that later. Right now there was an even more pressing thing to speak about, namely how they felt about each other, or where they stood. He sighed and closed his eyes again before opening them slowly to look at his Hikari. He looked sad, somehow, but at the same time, the smallest hint of a gentle smile was starting to come over his face. He put his hand to Ryou's cheek and stroked softly. "We're lovers..." he whispered. The thief didn't make a move to do anything else, just waited for Ryou to respond. This depended on him as much as the thief. If he thought something different than Bakura, then something wasn't going to work out.

He repeated himself, smile disappearing. "We're lovers... or at least, that's what I hope we are. What we could be." The thief sighed again (he had been doing a lot of that lately) and let go of Ryou, shifting away to give him just enough space to move away, or closer, if he wanted to. What he had told Ryou before was true, how he wanted to be with him forever, even in their new world, after all these obstacles had been eliminated. As far as Bakura could see, his vision was perfect: just the two of them and the darkness they would cover the world in. But now he realized that maybe it wouldn't be so easy. Ryou was not the same as him, not completely. At the core of his being, yes, he was, but he was not a being of darkness like the thief. He still had a light about him. Something he couldn't let go. He was still... human.

Bakura gazed at him tiredly, waiting for a response. Whatever had to come would come... and it would just make things easier for both of them. Or so he hoped.

Ryou looked at the thief before placing the tea cup on the table beside his phone. He sat on the thief's lap in order to look him straight in the eyes. His focus on the thief was unwavering. There was something within Ryou that was just screaming at Bakura for reason- that darkness was not the only solution to everything. "I don't want you to choose between me and your goal. My heart will only break at the answer," he whispered, holding onto the Millennium Ring. It was odd how this trinket was the only source of connection they had before- a connection that slowly turned into the twisted relationship they had now. Ryou wrapped his arms around the thief's neck, shuddering at the feeling of his skin beneath that wild hair of his. "I don't want to lose you, Kura. Even if it means that I have to fall into the darkest abyss," he whispered, nuzzling the thief slightly. _'I'm scared of the new world- a world in darkness and shadows. I barely survived the Shadow Realm alone and I do not want to burden you Bakura-sama. But call it selfishness and greed and all those nasty things- I still don't want to let you go,'_ he said through the link that somehow intensified at the touch of their bodies.

"W-Why can't we just live here and kill off the pharaoh instead? Have the Millennium Items for ourselves and lock it away? Why do you need to summon Zorc?" he asked, finally voicing out his opinion on the matter. In truth, he was alright with taking his revenge on the pharaoh. He was alright with killing off the vessel the pharaoh had as well. He was ready to steal the Millennium Puzzle from the tri-colored haired boys but still, he could not understand the rationale of letting the whole world fall into darkness.

"Why can't we just stay here? Together? Live together? Why do we need to create a new world to ourselves? I don't understand, Kura. I don't understand," he said truthfully as he bit his lower lip. His doe eyes looked up at Bakura's crimson gaze before pressing their lips together. Nothing but concern radiated through their link. Ryou's pure love and devotion to Bakura showed through this simple kiss, as if Ryou was screaming at the thief to trust him. Ryou was willing to let go of everything as long as he understood as to what it was for. After all, if everything was simply for love and revenge, it was still not worth it. "Do not get me wrong, Bakura. I know what I promised and I will carry on your plan but please... Make me understand what you're feeling. I... I love you with everything in me, Bakura-sama," he whispered.

It was with Ryou's words that Bakura finally came to a realization. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't handle all of this. Balancing out his ambition and hatred was impossible as long as Ryou was around. In all honesty, Bakura could not focus on two things at once. It had only ever been one thing, and that was avenging his village and destroying everything that the Pharaoh held dear. But now he found something else important to him, and he just couldn't divide his attention. It was too much, so he had tried to tie them in together.

"I love you," he whispered, holding Ryou close and burying his face in the other's hair. He breathed in deeply, somehow feeling more _alive_ than he had in almost three millennia. "I... I think maybe ... I always felt something. Maybe not love, but something was there. Everything I did while in your body... it was to further my own goals. But I protected you, even though I didn't care if the body died and even if you didn't want my protection. I did everything you wanted; even if you didn't know you wanted it. And... And I'm willing to continue doing that." Even if it meant taking Ryou to the edge of death, he wanted to do it. In a way, the revenge he wanted wasn't even just for him anymore.

He sighed. "Because it's not enough. It will never be enough. Ryou... my Yadonushi... I've suffered for three thousand years. In my lifetime, I never had anything valuable. But the one thing I did have was taken from me before my very eyes by the person we worshipped as a God. I was filled with hate. And then..." he touched below his right eye, something he hadn't done since his first death. He was remembering the scars he had been given for what had seemed like no reason.

Everything he had seen and done as a child, then as a thief, and eventually the King of Thieves... it had all been for the same thing. "Just killing him wouldn't have been enough. At a time, I might have been satisfied by it... but they wouldn't. Kul Elna wouldn't. So my grudge only grew until I wanted not only to kill the Pharaoh, but to make him suffer like I did. That's why I gave in to the darkness when I killed the Priest and took the Millennium Ring from him." He might have laughed at how tragic he was making himself sound, but really, he had no regrets. So what if he had cast aside his humanity for power? He needed to, and even then it wasn't enough to defeat the Gods' favored King.

It was sad, really, how much he hated the Pharaoh. How much he hated nearly everything. It had driven him over the brink of insanity, and now he just didn't care about anything else anymore. At least, that was how it had been, until he met Ryou again. He kissed his Yadonushi passionately, ignoring the tears that touched his cheek. The boy really did cry too much sometimes. The thief kept their embrace chaste, pulling away slowly and looking his Hikari directly in the eyes.

"He took everything from me. Even now, in this time, neither of us can escape tragedy. Haven't you ever wanted to get revenge?" he whispered. A dark, frightening expression had come over the Yami's face. "Don't lie to me. I know how you felt when your mother and Amane died. When your father left you. Even when your friends shut you out. You were alone, like I was." He grasped Ryou's hands, a manic grin coming over his face. The Thief King laughed hysterically. "But you've already dabbled in Shadow Powers, Ryou. I can feel them in you. While we were together, I _fed_ off your darkness. Why else do you think you always had nightmares? Why else would I have so much power over you then? But now you're choosing for yourself, aren't you? Deep down... you'll find we're the same." The only difference was that Ryou had not given in to his darkness. Not yet. In many ways, he was stronger than Bakura just for being able to do that.

By now, Ryou was crying, shivering from both the rush of emotions and the fever as well. He just hoped that Bakura understood as to where he was coming from. "S-Stop pushing me away. I want to become a part of your life as well. Trust is earned and not given; I understand that. But first, people must gain trust to reciprocate trust. I know what I have done in the past is wrong but things are different now, Tozokuoh-sama. I love you!" he exclaimed, completely breaking down into sobs in front of the white-haired thief. He could not quite understand himself as to why he was being so emotional. His words after that were pretty much incoherent. He pressed his lips against the thief's neck to stop himself from sobbing and although the thief's neck and hair managed to muffle some of the boy's sobs and sniffles, they were still not enough to stop Ryou from crying, "I-I don't want to lose you again."

The King of Thieves laughed again, louder this time, sounding truly insane. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe he was really feeling exhilarated. He was speaking with the same sort of demented fervor that he had acquired when offering Ryou immortality in the first place- when he had told the boy to seal himself into the Millennium Ring. Only now it was desperate, more passionate. Fuelled by everything he was saying, believing in his own words as if they were all he had left. "I'm not pushing you away. I was protecting you. T-trying to help you. I'm still trying. Ryou, my beloved Yadonushi... Please. Please understand what I'm offering you. A chance to have everything you could ever want. To get everything back. P-Please..."

It was now that Ryou saw the true side of his beloved Thief King. Deep down, the need for revenge grew from longing for something, for someone to care for. Ryou was listening intently to his Yami, squeezing his arm when he felt that the Yami needed some comforting. For the first time, he felt that the Yami had finally opened up to him. He felt important- needed as one would call it. The boy could not understand but the moment his Yami sounded so desperate- so needy, Ryou felt full and happy. It was a sick, twisted feeling. In truth, he loved seeing Marik fall into death and would love to cause much destruction to all who have hurt him and his Yami. It was true; he was alone all those times and yet here was his Yami, offering everything he wanted on a silver platter. "I do not want to be a burden to you," he suddenly stopped, blushing deeply.

The thief shook his head. _You're not a burden. Never a burden._ He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, somewhat, having all the adrenaline and excitement drained from him in an instant. He had never really had a problem with protecting Ryou, because in a way it was as if he were protecting himself. It wasn't a burden to do anything if one chose to do it. It wasn't as if he had an obligation to do anything to Ryou, let alone help him out. But he had anyway, and why? Because he wanted to. It was... strange, having something other than himself to look out for.

All this time, he had been calling him by his own name- not really giving the thief the identity he deserved. It was true, he had called him the Thief King, Tozokuoh, and even master at one point in time but never has he called him by his real name. Ryou shuddered, "A-Akefia-sama, am I truly important to you?" he asked. The moment that name rolled off of his tongue, there was this familiar rush in the boy's heart. It was as if they had connected truly for the first time. He kissed the area beneath his right eye, remembering what had happened in the Shadow Realm. It was there when he felt the similar pain of having that mark beneath his eyes. He kissed the area again and again, almost in a desperate attempt to make him feel better. He held the other's hands tight, entwining their fingers against each other, before kissing him on his cheeks.

Bakura's eyes closed, and he shivered. That name... Akefia. It sounded strange; unfamiliar to him, but something about the sound of it brought back memories. That had been his name, had it not? But how long had it been since he had cast that aside, too? He wasn't sure if he liked being called that, but said nothing. If Ryou wanted to call him that then he supposed it was just something he'd have to get used to. He laughed. "Idiot. I just told you how important you were to me. Do you think I would offer any of this to you if you weren't?" Another laugh that slowly turned into a groan when he was kissed. The thief was grinning now, feeling himself get lost in the moment. How could Ryou have such a strong effect on him?

Everything he wanted- which basically included having someone there for him. At the time, it was Amane, his beloved sister. The moment the girl passed on, he never felt the same again and he had spent most of his time trying to bring the memory of having someone there. Unfortunately, the feeling itself was not the same for he was isolated from the world, cold and lonely.

He had spent many sleepless nights, wishing that he was the one that died in the accident. After all, no one would care if he left this Earth. It would have been better if he was the one who left and the two stayed. Everyone would be happier that way. Ryou looked at the thief, his beautiful thief that made him feel as if he was actually someone for the first time in a very long time. Just hearing that desperate cry for Ryou to stay with him through this was enough for Ryou to feel wanted. "Akefia-sama, I only want one thing... And that is to stay with you."

He exhaled softly, about to answer Ryou's next statement but was stopped before he could. Bakura returned the kiss slowly, deepening it as he could and subconsciously pulling his precious Hikari closer to his body. He loved this feeling, the connection they shared. It only intensified when they were touching. Pretty soon he felt his clothes being discarded, then he was pulled back to the boy and everything just seemed to explode. Each touch was more intense, brought them closer and closer. It was almost as if this was their first real time being this close. But it was still not close enough: it probably never would be.

Ryou inched closer, closing the invisible gap between them. His head was throbbing from the aching pain of the fever but he did not mind. The world could crumble down into pieces and he would still fail to care. He yanked the thief's clothes from him, taking his shirt off as well as soon as he could. It was not as if he wanted to do anything sexual but instead, he wanted the feeling when their bodies would meet this way. Their relationship itself was forbidden, for such an innocent soul to fall for the darkest and most lowly being in this planet. "Kura," he whispered, licking beneath his ear. It was he wanted to explain everything to Bakura what he was feeling for he felt so tongue-tied as of the moment. "Kura," he groaned, letting his fingers graze along the other's pale arm, massaging it a little. "You truly are the King of Thieves... The thief who stole my heart," he whispered before pulling the said thief in a passionate kiss, letting his emotions flow through the kiss- almost screaming his love to the lowly thief.

He lifted his arms to come around the boy, holding him close and tangling one of his hands in the other's hair. He gripped tightly, firmly, but not to hurt him. Just to hold him close. He moaned quietly, but soon the noise crescendoed when he felt he boy's tongue tickle his skin. Bakura threw his head back, lips parted in another, and this time silent moan. His back arched; he just wanted to get closer to Ryou, feel more of him. But oddly enough, he wasn't sure where he wanted this to end up yet, so he settled for simply dragging his fingers up and down his Hikari's back, rubbing gently and scratching very lightly, not even marking the skin. He still hadn't gotten an answer to his offer, so he didn't know if Ryou was willing to give up everything he had just yet. He knew that either way, the boy would help him kill the Pharaoh, but was that all? He still wasn't sure, but as things were going now, he didn't know if he would be getting an answer any time soon. He almost didn't care at the moment. There would be plenty of time to talk later, after all.

He took in a deep breath as he continued to pull the said thief closer. In truth, Ryou was still unsure but with all the feelings Bakura seemed to have been putting into his actions, it was hard not to believe him. The boy could not help but let out small noises of approval and pleasure through their kiss. He parted from the kiss, wearing that blush that never seemed to fade anymore. "I-I want to be with you, no matter what it entails- no matter what it promises. If I have to go through hell and back, I would. Anything for you, Kura," he whispered, pressing their foreheads together. There was still the matter of the clothing that separated them but Ryou did not want to be too forward. He was still unsure if Bakura truly wanted to commit these acts or if he simply went on with what his Yadonushi proposed. Ryou did not want to sound stupid or oblivious though but he needed it to be said out loud.

He hated himself for this; the fact that he needed constant reassurance from the thief king. It was as if he could never function well as long as Bakura does not give him the 'Go' signal that he wanted. He could not help but release a strangled moan as he felt the other's fingers along his back. It felt cool against his skin, making the boy feel sparks of pleasure. His fever was momentarily forgotten, dismissed as something rather trivial for now. Medicine could wait and healing could wait. He was not about to lose the only thing that connected them so intensely. He held the loop of the Millennium Key, letting his fingers touch his chest ever so slightly. "Kura-sama," he cooed, letting his tongue graze the base of his neck up before taking the Millennium Key off of the boy's neck. He then proceeded to massaging his arms again in attempt to relax his thief king.

Ryou could not help but feel as if Bakura wanted this as much as him. It was confusing though- as to why the thief never admitted it so readily. Why was it so hard to say that he wanted Ryou? Ryou shook his head again, pressing his lips on the other's neck as well. The metal ring around him felt so cold against their bodies but Ryou did not want to take it off. Maybe it was out of fear or out of paranoia, but Ryou simply thought that their connection might suffer if the Millennium Ring was gone. He shuddered slightly, feeling a rather cold breeze brush against his skin. "I-I want you," he stuttered. He wondered as to why he felt so nervous around him all of a sudden- as if his moves were clearly monitored by the thief king or something. He did not complain about it but he did want to do something that would please the thief king greatly. After all, Bakura had experienced this for a lot of times before in his first lifetime.

He pulled wearily on the other's left shoulder before pressing his back against the couch again. He managed to pull the white-haired thief on top of him, earning a groan from the boy. Was it because of the Millennium Ring? Was it because of Shadow Magic? Or did this feeling truly come about just because they loved each other. He did not care about that anymore, enjoying the feeling of the tomb robber.

_'I-I'll stay with you, Yami-sama,'_ he said through the link, licking a particular spot on the other's neck before biting down. He could not help but feel so intoxicated the moment he tasted the thief once more, the moment he caught a whiff of his scent. Maybe it was because of his bodily needs or maybe it was because the gods destined for them to be together. Whatever it was, Ryou did not care- he wanted to have his thief here and now.

Bakura's eyes opened a fraction, staring steadily at Ryou. He kept his expression carefully neutral, mostly as he was still trying to sort out how he felt about hearing that. In the end, he moved a hand to touch Ryou's face and pull him in gently for another kiss, this time deep right from the beginning. He pulled his Yadonushi even closer to him, though it still wasn't enough. Somehow it just would never be enough. Even if they shared the same body again, it still might not be enough to satisfy them both.

He pulled away for a breath. "G-Gods," he barely managed to whisper before resuming the kiss. It was just too good. _Why do you have this effect on me?_ He wondered. It was true that this wasn't his first time, or rather that Ryou hadn't been his first, but he had never felt this way for anyone before. It still felt so weird to him!

The thief didn't object when the Millennium Key was taken from him. The only thing he could really register was the weight coming off of him and the light feel of Ryou's fingers against his heated skin. He moaned quietly, letting his Yadonushi do whatever he felt, enjoying it as it came. Bakura was blushing now, feeling himself losing control over but loving the way it was being taken from him. It was Ryou, his Ryou, driving him this wild. His Ryou... his Hikari- that would stay with him forever.

All too quickly, the Thief King moved on top of his Hikari, growling in pleasure. He ran a hand through the boy's hair and laughed, leaning down to nibble at his earlobe and whisper, "I need you. Now."

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**Preview for Chapter 15:** Tainted Light.

Their clothes were momentarily forgotten the moment Ryou pulled him back down, preferring the weight on him. "Y-Yami-sama," he stuttered, feeling their lengths brush up against each other. It felt weird in a way but at the same time, he could not discount that it really really felt good. Once again, he arched his back, letting go of his inhibitions. He let out a strained moan, unable to stop himself from brushing against the said darkness. He licked Bakura's ear before popping the part inside his mouth, licking and sucking at the sensitive skin. He knew how Bakura loved being handled this way, but Ryou's moves were still a little bit awkward and rehearsed- as if he was scared that the thief would immediately push him away because of what he was doing. Suddenly, a request came into his mind, causing Ryou's cheeks to darken even more.

He knew what it felt like to have Bakura inside him and of course, it felt as if he was full for the very first time. However, a thought suddenly came into his mind, causing Ryou to feel all flustered. Ryou let his breath escape his mouth, licking the shell of his ear before whispering. "I-I want to take you."

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**IF YOU WANT TO SEE RYOU TOPPING BAKURA IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. Tainted Light

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

**If you wish to read a darker story or just a different side of Tendershipping, check out BURY MY TENDER HEART! **I hope that you guys can give BMTH the same love that you give to LMST! :)

Here's Chapter 15. If you noticed, this chapter would be shorter compared to the others because this chapter is a pure head on lemon. **To the readers that do not want to read mature scenes, please feel free to skip this chapter altogether. **I'll try to update the 16th chapter soon. I want to apologize for not changing the mini-summary I usually do in the small summary box. So yeah, I'm a little sad. D:

Thank you to all of the reviewers and to the readers of the story! If you have enough time, please drop a comment if you like where the story's going! :) Thank you.

**Chapter Warnings:** seme!Ryou and a somewhat uke!Bakura, Mature Content.

**

* * *

Chapter 15: **Tainted Light.

It wasn't a question. Bakura didn't need to ask, because he could feel his Yadonushi's emotions so clearly not just near him, but from within him, it seemed, that he knew immediately that it would be okay. He was still a little bit slow in his actions, however: he was being teasing again, regaining some of that characteristic arrogance that was much more at home with the thief. He laughed as his fingertips danced along the boy's skin, never touching him enough, until they reached his pants. He teased along the waistline, but went no further. He kissed his Hikari deeply and teased him through the mind link. _Do you like this, Yadonushi? I can give you more, if you want... but you have to ask me nicely, understand? _It was like he was back in one of Ryou's dreams, only this time instead of watching from the sidelines, he was participating in it.

Ryou arched his back the moment he felt the other's breath against his ear like that. It was just too hot- too sensual for him to take. He groaned slightly upon hearing the words, "O-Oh god." Once again, his mind was overridden by both lust and other overwhelming emotions that he just could not describe as of the moment. When the thief pulled back a little, he noticed a faint hint of color in the other's cheeks, causing the boy to ghost a smile on his lips. He was happy that Bakura was slowly showing his true nature- the fragile and soft nature that hid behind that hard facade. Ryou did not care for he loved both sides of the said thief- all of him as they say. "T-There... P-Please, Kura. S-Stop teasing me," he whispered, clearly frazzled by all of the events that were happening to him as well. He could feel himself harden at just the thought of what's to come.

He could not help himself as he fondled with the button of his pants; his cheeks flushed from the heat. He did not care if whatever they were doing was wrong- for Ryou, everything seemed right. He let out a sigh of relief the moment he heard the button pop off of its holster. He hurriedly pulled the zipper down and guided his hands to pulling down both his pants and his boxers. Ryou could not help but stare at his member, gulping out of both want and embarrassment on his part. Although he knew that it was not polite to stare, he could not help but to. He ran his fingers on his hardening length, somewhat shocked that it was already at that state. "I-It's really... h-h-hard," he whispered, somewhat unable to talk dirty even though he was almost over the edge already. Taking no time to even heed his darkness' teasing, he quickly took off his own set of slacks and undergarments as well.

Just like his Hikari asked, Bakura obliged to stop teasing him. He was laughing quietly to himself, licking his lips: he was thoroughly enjoying this, even more so now that they had both seemed to release any and all restrictions they may have placed on themselves. He even let out a little chuckle when he noticed Ryou was staring at him. _It's not like you haven't seen me like this before, Yadonushi. _But his shyness was just so... cute, somehow, in spite of the situation. It was actually endearing, and Bakura loved that about him.

Their clothes were momentarily forgotten the moment Ryou pulled him back down, preferring the weight on him. "Y-Yami-sama," he stuttered, feeling their lengths brush up against each other. It felt weird in a way but at the same time, he could not discount that it really _really_ felt good. Once again, he arched his back, letting go of his inhibitions. He let out a strained moan, unable to stop himself from brushing against said darkness. Their arousals rubbed together, making Bakura moan. The sound only increased when he felt Ryou sucking on his ear, one of the few spots he knew he got pleasure from. He couldn't even form a coherent sentence to tell Ryou to keep going, and momentarily he nearly forgot about the mind link. So he responded the only other way he could think of, by reaching between them and starting to stroke Ryou.

He licked the other's ear, licking and sucking at the sensitive skin. He knew how Bakura loved being handled this way, but Ryou's moves were still a little bit awkward and rehearsed- as if he was scared that the thief would immediately push him away because of what he was doing. Suddenly, a request came into his mind, causing Ryou's cheeks to darken even more. He knew what it felt like to have Bakura inside him and of course, it felt as if he was full for the very first time. However, a thought suddenly came into his mind, causing Ryou to feel all flustered. Ryou let his breath escape his mouth, licking the shell of his ear before whispering. "I-I want to take you," he said, arching his back at the same time. He pressed their bodies closer, rubbing their hips together at every chance he could get. Most likely, his request will be turned down but it does not hurt to try, right?

The Thief King bit his lip to stop himself from crying out even more, very similar to a habit that Ryou had. He could feel the smallest amount of blood trickle down his chin, thinking only suddenly about what a pain that would be later on. It would sting and just generally annoy him... but for now, it was worth it. He quite enjoyed the pain.

When they slowed suddenly, Bakura was confused. He was patient, though, relaxing his grip on his host, but still slowly and lazily stroking him. The motion almost caused Bakura to calm down, because all of a sudden his heart was racing. He wanted to ask Ryou something too, but he decided to wait until the other spoke. When he finished his request, the thief couldn't help but laugh loudly. It may have sounded like he was laughing at the ridiculous notion of having his sweet, innocent little Hikari (not so sweet and innocent, really) take him. But when he calmed down, he shook his head. He hadn't been laughing at the other.

With a bemused grin, he said quietly, "I was just about to ask you the same thing. How very strange." He doubted Ryou knew that, because neither of them was using the mind link - Bakura couldn't feel Ryou's thoughts and he knew he wasn't trying to read the other's mind. They really were more in tune with each other than they had thought.

Bakura shifted a little bit so that Ryou was now on top of him, giving him free reign to do whatever he wanted. But before that, the thief couldn't resist leaning up and biting into his Hikari's neck, starting to suck on it with the intention of leaving a mark. He had so many already... but more wouldn't hurt, would it? Bakura loved seeing his mark on the other - it just helped to assure him that the boy was his, and nobody else's.

The moment Bakura started laughing, Ryou knew that it was not a good idea to say that. He parted his lips and was about to take back what he just said when the thief king suddenly said that he was about to ask the same time. Really? Was the thief king actually ready to give up his throne? Ryou could not help but smirk, similar to his Yami's usual feature before pressing their lips together. Soon enough, he was pulled on top of the said thief king, feeling his teeth against his neck. "K-Kura," he moaned the moment he felt his teeth sink in the area he loved the most. He sighed lightly, knowing that it would create another of those bruises he preferred. He gulped a little, parting from the said thief king before moving towards his budding erection. Ryou was not fully prepared yet, needing a little more stimulation before he could commit the next act.

He moved towards his member, moving his body so his own length was already pressing against the other's lips. "S-Suck," he instructed, somewhat feeling that he was in charge. Ryou enjoyed this feeling greatly, knowing that his thief would comply to whatever he had in mind. Ryou then proceeded to taking the other's sensitive member in his mouth, nipping and sucking at every part that he could muster. The taste was simply divine in his point of view and the anticipation of taking his Yami was driving him to the brink. He licked the inside of the other's thighs before proceeding to licking his entrance. Ryou could not help but moan at the feeling of the other's warm mouth around his own member for it was enough to send him over the edge already. He licked his fingers before rubbing his entrance softly, making sure that he was not hurting the thief.

Bakura's smirk was identical to Ryou's when he heard his 'command.' It was just like before, paying his 'rent.' Only now, Ryou was actually demanding something of him instead of just subconsciously wanting something. And it felt good to have him stand up for himself and take charge. It made paying his rent all that much easier, and he knew it pleased his Hikari greatly. "As you wish, Yadonushi-_sama_," he said, half-mockingly and half-affectionately, then set to what he was told to do. Bakura took his host's length into his mouth, sucking gently at first, then using one hand to grip the base as he moved. The thief dragged his teeth lightly along the underside, licking every now and then, trying to give Ryou as much pleasure as possible but still trying to make him slicked enough that this wouldn't be difficult. Every time Ryou moved or did something different, Bakura would moan loudly, the vibrations from his voice unintentionally adding to the pleasure his Hikari was feeling.

He pressed his two fingers inside, parting them a little and stretching him. Bakura was tight- tighter than he was, he could imagine. Ryou once again slipped the member inside his mouth, sucking softly as he pushed his fingers deeper. He moved them slowly, giving him a preview of what was going to happen in just a few minutes. It was actually hard for Bakura to hold back right now, mostly because Ryou just felt so damn _good_, no matter what he did. It was driving him crazy, and by the time the boy had pulled away, Bakura was moaning in desperation to have him back. It didn't last too long, however, because soon he felt the boy within him, but it wasn't enough.

When he felt as if he was going to reach his peak soon, he hurriedly pulled himself out of the said thief king and positioned himself. "M-more," he grunted. But before he could get more, Ryou withdrew his fingers. He licked his lips, brushing his hands against Bakura's member before smiling. "A-A-Are you ready, B-Bakura-sama?" he asked carefully, pressing the tip of his length against his entrance. The thief king squirmed a little bit, wanting to just hurry this up and have his damn host _inside_ of him already! Bakura growled at the question. "Yes, damn it. I'm ready!" Ryou took a deep breath, feeling as if he was in the middle of an operating room or something. He brushed the sweat off of his brow before pushing forward. The next thing he felt made his eyes widen. He cried out loudly in pain, then pleasure, reaching up to cling to his Hikari and digging his nails into the boy's flesh. It hurt, oh gods, the pure pain Bakura could feel made him cringe, but at the same time, he felt completely fulfilled. No, just complete. Whole. Like now he had come close to being close enough to Ryou, but it just... still wasn't even enough. He wanted more - the pain, the pleasure, all of it.

Ryou immediately kissed the thief, slipping his tongue inside his mouth as an attempt to relax him even just a little. He knew how it hurt to be taken for the first time and his insides were not as wet as they were moments ago. Bakura's cries were silenced quickly when he was swept into another kiss, but when he finally needed a break from playing with Ryou's tongue, Bakura pulled away and growled. "Ryou," he whispered, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Move. Hurry up and move, d-damn it!" When his Yadonushi finally complied, Bakura's back arched and he screamed in pleasure. "Ryou! R-Ryou! Oh, oh g-gods, Ryou, _more_!"

Ryou let out a strangled groan before licking his ear, "Scream my name, Yami-sama," he whispered, getting aroused from playing dominant for the first time. He felt as if his senses were heightened and he hoped that Bakura was feeling the same way as well.

Ryou pushed further, groaning for himself the moment he filled him completely. He pulled himself out slowly, careful that he was not hurting him too much. He groaned even louder, his hand moving downwards in order to stroke the other's member. Ryou pulled away, urging the former Spirit of the Ring to turn around. The moment he was in position, he entered the thief again, moaning softly. He wrapped his hand around the other's length as he massaged it in sync with his own pace. Soon enough he found his own rhythm and moved faster and deeper. "D-Does that feel g-go-ahn!" he exclaimed, letting go of his member before holding the other's waist.

Every motion that Ryou was making sent shivers down Bakura's spine. He could feel the heat rushing through him, pleasure jolting through his body like electricity, and gods, he loved it. He was having a hard time making actual words, so the noises he made ended up sounding more like strangled groans and fragments of repeated words. He was doing his best to urge Ryou on, though, moving against him in time with the boy's thrusts.

At that particular moment, Ryou moved faster, angling himself to look for that specific spot that made him see stars before. The moment he heard the louder moans from the other, he realized that it was that specific spot. He did his best to stimulate the said spot, aiming for his prostate again and again. "S-So tight," he whispered, forgetting the mind link even for just a single moment. He wanted to try his best to express himself in words unlike before. He wanted to say it out loud and if it was even possible, proclaim it to the world that Bakura was his. "A-A-Akefia!" he exclaimed as he moved faster, feeling the pleasure build up inside him.

Bakura grit his teeth and clenched the fabric of the couch beneath him. The pain was only now starting to subside, being replaced almost completely with pleasure and the want for more. He moaned loudly, almost screamed, half-begging for Ryou to just stop screwing around and give him more. It wasn't exactly a coherent noise, but it seemed the meaning got across, because within moments something seemed to explode within the thief, though not quite enough to fully bring him over the edge. That changed fast, though.

The moans and groans from the thief were helping as well and soon enough, Ryou felt as if he was almost at his climax. "I-I'm almost..." he stopped himself, simply groaning as he hit the said spot again and again. Once more, he paid attention to the thief's length, wrapping his hand around it and moving his hand as fast as he could. He could tell that he was getting close as well from the sound of his semi-screams. "B-Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, releasing all of his seed inside Bakura, before focusing on the other's climax as well.

He could feel Ryou tensing up and releasing inside of him, and very shortly afterwards, the thief did the same. He couldn't help but scream Ryou's name. It was strange how this felt - like for the first time, they had both fully connected. Like they trusted each other enough to switch places and allow the other complete control. But did that mean this newfound trust would extend to beyond this? He hoped it would, but right now, Bakura couldn't be too sure. He hadn't been thinking clearly anyway.

The thief, completely spent, shifted underneath Ryou and came to wrap his arms around the boy. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily and trying to come down from that post-coital high that he had slowly become all too used to. He laughed and shifted again so that he could kiss Ryou's forehead. "You're... you're insane," he hissed between deep breaths, "Gods, I love you." The thief then let himself go slack for a moment, looking up to stare at the ceiling as if it were somehow doing something interesting. It wasn't. But it was a lot better staring at something that didn't move than ruining this moment of complete bliss by bringing up the few things they still had to do. For a while, Bakura was just content to stay here.

Ryou looked up at Bakura before blushing deeply. He was not even sure as to why he still felt so nervous around Bakura after doing this for quite some time now. The boy planted a kiss on one of Bakura's bruises, loving the contrast of the bright red love marks against the thief's pale skin. "I want to kill the pharaoh not because of your revenge," he suddenly said, drawing circles on the thief's bare chest. As of now, Ryou has his own motive as to why he would want to end the life of the said pharaoh. The boy bit his lip before leaning his head on the thief's chest. Their heart beats seemed to have found each other's rhythm as it continuously moved as one. "I hate him because he has hurt you," he whispered, planting kisses all over his lover's chest. He licked the warm skin, realizing that his fever dropped down a few degrees already- possibly with all the 'movements' that they were doing.

The boy licked his stomach, trailing down towards his length once more. He was not doing this to entice the said thief but more of simply getting him 'all cleaned up'. Ryou licked the excess of the said liquid, somewhat shocked that he has managed to fill Bakura with his own seed. It was somewhat fulfilling for Ryou that he managed to give Bakura something even after Marik took his innocence.

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**Preview for Chapter 16.**

Ryou entered a particular room, realizing that both siblings were asleep. The boy bent over the Egyptian's ear, whispering softly, "You'll fall asleep until I tell you to wake up. When I say the secret word, you will immediately wake up and kill yourself by any means necessary." The boy immediately said the word after that, the person's eyes wide open by now as the Egyptian fell under the control of the Millennium Rod. Ryou could not help but smirk a little, pressing his lips against the Egyptian's cheek. "Sleep well."

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**Just who is Ryou threatening? Please Review to find out!  
**


	16. Newly Acquired Pawn

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

**If you wish to read a darker story or just a different side of Tendershipping, check out BURY MY TENDER HEART! **I hope that you guys can give BMTH the same love that you give to LMST! :)

Here's Chapter 16! I'm posting today because today is verrrry important for me! Well, at my side of the world, it's already April 7th and that means one thing- It's my birthday! :) So yeah, I'm posting this as my birthday gift to you guys! :)

Thank you to all of the reviewers and to the readers of the story! If you have enough time, please drop a comment if you like where the story's going! :) Thank you.

**Chapter Warnings:** Exhibitionist!Bakura, Feisty!Ryou, A very confused Egyptian

* * *

** Chapter 16:** Newly Acquired Pawn

Bakura twisted and squirmed, trying not to laugh. It felt weird, getting cleaned like this, but he couldn't exactly complain. He hadn't been very calm to begin with, but with his host cleaning him off... well, he was just getting more and more energetic. Pretty soon they would have more pressing things to worry about than going to the hospital, but once he thought about it, Bakura decided he would actually much prefer the alternative. But they just didn't have that kind of time to waste right now.

Ryou groaned slightly upon the taste of the thief's sweet liquid in his mouth. In truth, it tasted odd but at the same time, the boy just could not get enough of the substance. After a few minutes, Ryou pried himself off of the said thief, doing his best to stay on his feet. "N-New... Set of clothes," he muttered, still unable to think coherently after that. He placed a hand on his own forehead, deducing that he still have a slight fever.

He sat up when Ryou left, shaking his head. Yes, he knew for sure now, the boy really was insane. Saying what he had about getting revenge, killing the Pharaoh, then cleaning him off and immediately stopping to go get some new clothes? And he still had that fever. Clearly, Ryou was pushing himself a bit too hard right now... but Bakura couldn't complain.

He went up the stairs, blinking a few times as if to check if he was dreaming or not. He got a fresh set of clothes for the two of them- darker in shade in order to camouflage well into the night the moment they do go to the hospital. His slipped on a dark red shirt and some jeans and then brought a shirt and some pants for Bakura as well. While he was going down the steps, Ryou could not help but think about what just happened in the room, causing him to miss the last step and then tumble down. He held his head for a good two seconds before going to Bakura. "Stupid steps," he said, trying his best to ignore the other's exposed length. In truth, he was still feeling a little frisky but they still needed to talk about their plan with Marik and his sister. After all, they have to dispose of them before they cause trouble. But first, Ryou wanted to ask his thief something.

By the time Ryou had come back, he was already dressed and tossed the clothes to the thief. Bakura put them on gratefully, not at all surprised to find out they fit. Come to think of it, he had been wearing Ryou's clothes for a while now; he'd have to get some of his own, or at least get them both some new things to wear. He shook his head to put those thoughts aside for now; there were more pressing matters at hand, and they both had enough clothes for now anyway.

"S-Should I call you by your name? Y-Your real name, I mean?" he asked, blushing deeply as he placed the shirt on the said thief king. He was trying to avoid the thief's gaze- as if he had done something wrong with what just happened. In truth, he wanted to ask if he was worthy of calling him by his name. He just realized that people call other people by their given names when they are closer to each other. He could not help but look away, realizing that Yuugi and the others distanced themselves from him for although he calls them by their given names, they still call him 'Bakura'. Ryou placed a hand on the other's cheek before kissing under his right eye once more. As for his name... Bakura shook his head. "Call me whatever you want. I think I prefer not to be called Akefia, though." It had just seemed... well, odd to hear that name again. "But if that's what you want to call me... then I suppose I can just get used to it, hm?"

"I-I have a bad feeling about the pharaoh, Yami-sama. W-What did Yuugi-kun say in the message?" he stuttered, not even bothering to check the said device.

The thief king shrugged and gestured to the phone. "He wanted to know if we got that message about Marik's sister waking up. She can't remember anything, so don't worry," he added to make sure Ryou didn't panic. He nearly had when he read the first part of the message, but it seemed safe to say that the woman hadn't told Yuugi's friends anything. "He also wanted to know if you wanted to do something with him and his idiot friends." Though Bakura would rather have Ryou stay with him, maybe it could be turned to their advantage if he were to spend some more time with Yuugi and his friends.

The thief handed his host back the phone in exchange for the clothing and stretched. Maybe the boy could check the messages himself. But in any case, they were both dressed now, and although they weren't exactly entirely clean, it was probably a good time to get going to the hospital now. Bakura went upstairs briefly to fetch the Millennium Rod from where he had left it, exchanging it for the Millennium Key. He kept the Tauk, however, if only because he hadn't taken it off since he'd gotten it (except to shower, of course), and it was easier to hide anyway. He came back down the stairs and held his hand out for his Hikari, leading him to the door and opening it. Maybe the cool evening air would be good for Ryou's fever, though if they didn't need to get moving, Bakura would have rather had the boy stay home and lie down to drive his sickness away.

"You're feeling okay to do this, right?" He asked. Regardless, he lifted his coat off his shoulders and draped it over Ryou's. Ryou hadn't grabbed himself a coat and Bakura had just grabbed his own from the floor out of instinct.

Ryou blushed deeply before putting the coat on properly, wondering as to how Bakura can act so sweet and overprotective at the same time. Ryou took the other's hand in his, smiling at him. Most of the lights were off by then and the street lamps were poorly lit so it was next to impossible for anyone to spot them. Ryou could not help but wish that he could do this more often. For once, they actually looked like a real couple, walking hand in hand to the city. He could not help but wish that he could proclaim to the world just how much he loved the thief king but for now, he satisfied himself with stolen glances. Ryou looked away before tearing himself from Bakura the moment they reached the busier parts of Domino City. He wanted to stay in that position if he could but he knew that it would just be too risky if they were seen like that, right?

The entire trip to the hospital was spent in silence, but Bakura didn't mind in the least. It was a strange, comforting kind of silence, probably sweetened by the fact that they were holding hands. Like they were, for once, normal people simply out for a walk together. The only thing that stopped him from feeling completely blissful was the fact that he still knew they had work to be done. He had no idea how enjoyable that work would be, though.

It did not take long for them to reach the Domino Hospital, and as expected Visiting Hours were officially over. Ryou looked at Bakura before taking the Millennium Ring at hand. Soon enough, the item started to glow, pointing towards the stairs. He looked at the thief at the corner of his eyes before following the direction the Ring was pointing to. They found themselves running a few flights of stairs before reaching the 5th floor, where the Ishtars were in. Ryou shifted the moment they entered the floor, uneasy with the atmosphere of a hospital. After all, he had been in one for quite some time every time the Millennium Ring would do quite some damage to him. The moment anyone would spot them, the powers of the Millennium Rod came in handy. They were simply sent away and asked to stall anyone that would attempt to even stop the two keepers of the Millennium Ring.

Ryou entered a particular room, realizing that both siblings were asleep. The boy bent over Egyptian's ear, whispering softly, "You'll fall asleep until I tell you to wake up. When I say the secret word, you will immediately wake up and kill yourself by any means necessary."

The boy immediately said the word after that, the person's eyes wide open by now as the Egyptian fell under the control of the Millennium Rod. Ryou could not help but smirk a little, pressing his lips against the Egyptian's cheek. "Sleep well, Ishizu," he said, before making his way towards the other Egyptian. The look on Ryou's face was sinister- as if he was ready to kill anyone that would get in his way. After all, Ryou was determined to get what he wants and he did not care as to who he would hurt in the process. The boy sat beside Marik, brushing a few strands of hair from his eyes.

As soon as Ryou began to speak to Ishizu, pleasant chills shot down Bakura's spine. The thief truly loved hearing his Yadonushi speak like this... so threatening, so powerful. He really had changed compared to the weak, scared child he used to be. And the look in his eyes... it was terrifying. Beautiful, frightening, and Bakura loved it. He was smirking, eyes narrowed as well, looking just as excited as he felt; he might even have looked as sinister as Ryou at the moment. If anyone were to walk in at the moment, it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart - just the thought of that delighted Bakura. Had he really influenced his Hikari that much? _We should have done this ages ago,_he thought. It certainly would have made things easier.

"We can still use him, Bakura," he whispered, remembering Marik completely. He was one of Bakura's acquaintances during the Battle City and he was somewhat amused that the boy forgot that Bakura was simply a spirit back then. Ryou had never talked to Marik before; not when Bakura had control of his body for most that he could remember.

"Wake up, Mariku," he cooed, his voice sweet and yet scary at the same time. It was nearly soft with a slight hint of evil in it- to the point that it sounded almost sensual. At once, the Egyptian boy woke up, about to scream when Ryou placed a hand on his mouth, pressing a blade against his neck. The blade, of course, did not come from him but instead, it came from the thief's pocket. Ryou's eyes were narrow as he almost drew a wound against the tan boy's neck.

"Listen carefully, Marik. The only reason as to why you're alive is because we're letting you live. You will cooperate with our plans or you and your sister would die. All I have to do is to utter a simple word," he said slowly, words cutting the Egyptian like a knife.

He watched in amusement as the boy began to threaten Marik. He would be easy to use, because as much as he may have boasted before about not fearing his own death, it was plain to see how terrified he was of it now. Now that he had been somewhat redeemed in the Pharaoh's eyes, he apparently had something to live for. A new life, if he could even call it that. But Bakura didn't particularly care about that; he had no problem ending that new life - or any life, really - if it meant getting what he needed.

The thief laughed. "Calm down, Ryou, or we'll be here much longer than I'd like," Bakura purred, though his tone implied he didn't mean they'd be here longer because of Marik. He even began to caress Ryou, touching his neck and licking at his earlobe lightly. He just couldn't resist, and didn't care if Marik was watching. He soon turned his attention back to the Egyptian (though he was still draped all over his Yadonushi possessively, almost like he was trying to make a point), eyes still dangerously narrow and grin becoming more and more sadistic.

"We're not even going to need the Millennium Rod," he said to both of the teenagers listening to him. "I'd rather watch him _suffer_, knowing that he can't tell anyone what we're doing or what we've already done. Because we _will_know, Marik - you're the one that ensured that." He gestured to the Millennium Rod again; silently indicating that they could still use it to know what Marik was thinking or doing at any time. The Egyptian should already have known that, though, considering he knew how it worked from using it himself in Battle City.

Bakura's eyes didn't leave Marik, but he was finished talking with him for now. "Hm, I wonder what we should have him do first?" he murmured to Ryou, voice unintentionally dark and low. "I'm sure we can come up with something fun, don't you, Yadonushi?" The spirit laughed, already going over things in his mind. He wanted to have Marik suffer for a while, and if things got boring... well, he wasn't all that necessary to have around. Really, Bakura only saw him as a form of entertainment. He deserved it, after all, for interfering with their plans so much already. Both him and his dark side, who had already been taken care of.

Bakura remained outwardly silent during the rest of the exchange at the hospital, finding it more fun to just listen to that wonderful way his host was talking. Without even realizing it, the thief licked his lips, eyes narrowing. Oh, this was just too good for him. His hands had continued to move slightly, gently rubbing his host's stomach, while in the meantime he had taken to slowly kissing the boy's neck. He didn't care if he was getting a little bit too intimate in front of Marik; it wasn't like the Egyptian could tell anyone. Even if he had wanted to, he was too terrified of dying. Bakura thought that was the case, at least, until he heard their unwitting 'friend' trying to plot against them in his mind.

Ryou could not help but lean against his Yami the moment he started to get frisky in front of the tomb keeper. _'K-Kura-sama,'_he said through the mind link, eyes close to closing. He fought the urge to simply take the said thief king at that said moment. Ryou shivered a little, feeling the draft from the window as the feeling of being ill returned with some sort of vengeance towards the white-haired boy. "Marik, listen to me carefully. If you even dare to cross our plans again, we will make sure that you will never see the light of day again," he whispered, watching the boy's eyes widen in fear. What Bakura thought was true, after all. Marik now had a reason for his existence and he was no longer so unafraid of death. Since he now knew the people he had to protect and the people he had to serve, the said tomb keeper had a given a meaning in his life and thus, all confidence that he could die any time simply jumped out of the window. Ryou felt weird; the life of a person simply relying on his whim.

He didn't have to say anything, though. Ryou had done a good job of that himself, and Bakura simply held up the Millennium Rod, taking a moment to unsheathe a part of the blade it concealed. It was a challenge, of sorts; showing Marik that they could tell what he was thinking while also threatening him, not only with the blade, but with the Rod itself. "You can try to defy us if you want," he muttered casually. "But it's not really a good idea. Besides, we can just use this if you become too troublesome. We're just giving you a chance to screw things over for yourself." He laughed darkly; Bakura was sure that, given the choice, Marik would rather not have done what they said at all. It might have been easier for him if they _had_ just taken control of him.

The power itself was overwhelming and he could see as to how one could easily get so addicted to it. He felt in charge and the fact that there was a boy simply squirming beneath him and, almost begging for his life truly helped in boosting up his ego. "You will go with me tomorrow with Yuugi and the others. You will act as Bakura-sama's vessel just in case something goes horribly wrong with the meeting with the pharaoh. Surely, he would try to press me about Tozokuoh-sama," he said, thinking his sentences through before he said it. He knew that Bakura wanted to be there with him just in case he was pressed for answers but they still had to keep his identity a secret. Ryou released the boy from his grasp, completely leaning against his dark counterpart. He loved the feeling of his arms around his waist like this- like he was ready to kill anyone and everyone who would even try to get his Yadonushi. If only Ryou knew how right he was with that thought, then maybe it would be at least a little scary for him.

But still, Bakura remained silent and watched the show in front of him play out. It was more entertaining than he would have liked to admit, but in a good way. He no longer had any doubt in his mind that Ryou was serious about everything he was doing. It made him smirk to himself, even when they were leaving the hospital and he was using the Millennium Rod to make sure nothing about them taking a patient out of the hospital (one that had been comatose only half an hour ago, no less!) would stick out to any of them as abnormal. It was a tedious job, but otherwise it would raise suspicion in someone, not necessarily just the Pharaoh. They couldn't have that. But even though he was completely thrilled with how cooperative and eager Ryou was being, he did object to one thing with his Yadonushi's plan._ I don't want him as a vessel_, he complained as they walked home. It had been hard enough to deal with Marik constantly telling him what to do when he had used Bakura as a vessel himself. _He's a lot more difficult to put up with than you'd think. And I don't want to use his body. I like yours better._Bakura was referring to the time when he had inhabited Ryou's body, but the allusion he made didn't go unnoticed, he was sure. He didn't have much of a choice in this matter, anyway. Using Marik was really the only way he could watch what was going on when Ryou was with the Pharaoh tomorrow.

Marik looked at the two, eyes furrowing a little when he placed two and two together. "You're his... Hikari," he said cautiously, looking at how Bakura was reacting to Ryou. It was weird for a few days ago, he said that he was someone disposable to him and here he was, acting as if Ryou's the most important person in his life. Suddenly, Marik's eyes lit up with a plan. Maybe, he could impart this knowledge towards the pharaoh somehow for if the tomb robber really did regard someone as important, then they could use it to their advantage. Ryou can easily be dragged to do something by Yuugi after all. However, this given plan was risky- too risky if he was putting his sister's life in jeopardy. If what Ryou said was true, then he could easily kill Ishizu whenever he wishes and it was something that Marik could not bear to happen. Little did he know that the two white-haired boys were listening intently to all of his thoughts. Ryou's insides could not help but boil somewhat the moment he heard those thoughts.

Once again, he pressed the boy against the bed, drawing some blood with the blade. "I could kill you right here and right now, Marik so I suggest you stop this little plan of yours before I get pissed," he said in a taunting manner, but every word that left his lips were coated in venom. This only meant that he was dead serious, causing the Egyptian boy to nod in fear for his life. Ryou closed his eyes before sighing, "I guess it cannot be helped. We have to bring him home with us. I know that we can easily monitor his actions but it's better to have him near us," he stated, somewhat irritated for their 'alone time' would certainly be cut short because of this new arrangement. Soon enough, Marik was on his feet, walking after Ryou and his Yami. It was near midnight the moment they left the hospital and the evening chills were not kind to Ryou at all. His face flushed even more, a sure sign that his fever was slowly coming back. The only thing that would possibly cure this was much needed sleep for the boy.

When they got home, Bakura had instantly offered to make his host some more tea, if only because the boy seemed to be even worse off than when they left. This fever was getting really annoying... but he wasn't sure how to treat fevers, really. If he'd ever had one, he'd mostly ignored it and then rested when it got to be too much. All he knew about fevers came from stray bits and pieces he could recall from Ryou's memories. Hopefully this tea would be enough to help, at least a little bit...

Ryou locked Marik up in one of the guest rooms while his dark counterpart prepared tea for him once more. The moment Ryou twisted the door knob, the boy suddenly collapsed into the room, causing a rather loud crash to be heard throughout the house. His chest heaved greatly, as if he was having such a hard time in breathing. This had only happened once or twice before- when he wasasdsd still a kid and having these kinds of attacks was not something Ryou was used too. He panted, feeling as if he was slowly losing his consciousness. "B-Bakura," he murmured, trying to call his lover over the sound of the clanging pots and pans. He opened his eyes for a second before shutting them tight, holding onto his chest before slipping out of consciousness. Apparently, the fatigue added to the fever and it ended up screwing him over even more.

The noise coming from upstairs surprised the thief. He stopped what he had been doing, ignored that the water was almost finished boiling, and went upstairs to check what had happened. What he saw didn't surprise him so much, but it still worried him. Bakura checked quickly to make sure the door to Marik's room was locked, so he couldn't escape, and when he found it was he knelt down to pick up his Hikari. "Overexertion..." he muttered. The spirit lifted Ryou and brought him to his room, lying him down on the bed gently. A hand instantly went to his forehead to check if he was warm. _He's burning..._ thought Bakura. _Damn it._He had no idea what he was supposed to do to cure a fever, though something stuck out in his mind from the few times he'd known Ryou had gotten sick, mostly because Bakura had disregarded those things at the time and taken over the boy's body anyway.

For the moment, Marik was completely forgotten. Bakura was too busy tending to Ryou, pulling the covers up over him and making sure he was warm enough (though really, that had never made much sense to him), getting him a cool, damp cloth and placing it on his forehead, and then going to get some water for him in case he woke up. He could always start the tea again, but water just seemed more logical right now.

Bakura sighed and sat down next to the bed, watching Ryou for any signs that he would wake up. Every now and then he would glance at the clock too, but only briefly. It didn't seem to be moving very much. He shook his head. _Looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight._

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**Preview for Chapter 17.**

The Egyptian closed his eyes, and though at first he wasn't sure what to do with himself, he ended up pulling Ryou closer to himself, exploring the boy's mouth with his tongue. He could feel something spike in the back of his mind, and suddenly he was kind of angry, but he tried to suppress that feeling. Of course, it wouldn't work, because the weird things he was feeling were because of Bakura invading his mind. For a moment Marik was wondering if it was really the King of Thieves that was kissing Ryou.

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**Angstshipping moment next chapter! Please Review! :)**


	17. Stolen Kisses

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

I decided to temporarily take down Bury My Tender Heart so I can focus on editing Love me so Tender. To the readers of BMTH, I'll post it after the story of LMST is done... Which is not until a lot of chapters. .

Here's Chapter 17! I'm sorry if it took me a while to post this story but since I'm in the middle of my Summer Vacation, I just thought that it would be a good thing to post this story while I still have the time. I'm hoping to post at least a chapter a week but of course, I want to hear your feedback!

Thank you to all of the reviewers and to the readers of the story! If you have enough time, please drop a comment if you like where the story's going! :) Thank you.

**Chapter Warnings:** A lot of kisses. Srsly.

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**Chapter 17: **Stolen Kisses.

Ryou fidgeted around that night, constantly murmuring incoherent words as he tried to grasp for something. He was feeling uneasy- as if there was something that was happening in the dream to cause him such distress. His fever went down eventually, and as the fever went down, his restlessness was slowly going away. It was a few minutes before 4 in the morning when Ryou's eyes finally opened, realizing that he was clutching onto something... Someone that is. For a second, he feared that Bakura would have been gone the moment he woke up for he has done such a feat beforehand. However, as he looked up a little, his eyes met with Bakura's, causing Ryou to let go of the thief. "A-Ah... Bakura-sama,"he whispered, wondering as to why the thief was still awake by this time. He took the other's hand in his before pressing the thief's hand against his cheek.

It no longer felt as warm as before but Ryou wondered if the thief had always been this... warm. Ryou blinked once or twice before grabbing the glass next to them (making sure that he straddled Bakura for even just a split second) and drank from it. He then gave the glass to Bakura, urging the thief to drink as well. "I think you're coming down with something as well, Tozokuoh-sama. Maybe it's because of me," his voice trailed off, realizing that it was a plausible reason as to why Bakura could have been sick. After all, they had not been taking proper meals up to date and it somewhat scared Ryou that the thief hardly ate- his last meal being pancakes of all things. "Wait here," he instructed, planting a kiss on the thief's forehead as he rushed down the stairs. Grabbing one of the grill pans and a medium-sized T-bone, he grilled the meat for a few minutes but enough to make it medium rare.

Bakura had put a hand to both his forehead, checking to see if Ryou was actually right about him coming down with something. He didn't feel bad at all, and he didn't seem too warm... maybe Ryou was just cold or something? But he didn't have time to object, because before he could tell his Yadonushi to lie back down, he had dashed out of the room to do something downstairs.

The thief crossed his arms and waited for Ryou to get back, surprised to smell something cooking downstairs. They hadn't eaten properly for a while, had they? Bakura hadn't felt hungry before now, but now that the idea of food was put in his head, he realized that he was starving. When Ryou brought the food up, he quickly took it from the boy, giving him a quick kiss and saying thank you before starting to eat.

He rushed up the stairs once more after grabbing a box of his favorite desserts, noticing that Marik himself has not slept yet. He wondered if Marik was truly going to be as stubborn as his Yami said he was. If so, it would be too tiresome to constantly keep watch of him. For a second, he wondered if it was actually a good idea to use him for their plans but then again, Ryou wanted to cause pain towards him. He was the one who manipulated Ryou, after all, to get the Millennium Rod back in his possession. Ryou rushed to their room, placing the plate in front of him. "I think I got it right this time. I don't want you eating something too... raw," realizing that his thief king actually liked his meat raw. The boy could only smile the moment he opened the box of sweets in his hands, eyes widening at the sight of his perfect batch of cream puffs.

He knew that he was just recovering from a fever but the temptation to eat the dessert was just too much for him to bear. Ryou grabbed one of the sugar-coated desserts, managing to get powdered sugar all over his fingers. He could easily wash up afterward and thinking about how he was going to eat it was just too bothersome. He licked the item once before biting off a piece of it. It surely felt like heaven, making him want to melt into Bakura's arms all of a sudden. After a few moments, the box was completely empty; Ryou's face covered in powdered sugar and cream all over but the Hikari was just too happy to even notice the things all over his face. For now, he satisfied himself with cleaning what was on his fingers by licking them, wishing that he could have bought at least two boxes of the pieces of heaven but he knew he could easily get more of the stuff in the morning.

He almost found it amusing when he realized that Ryou was still eating his cream puffs - it looked like he hadn't had too many yet, and Bakura was nearly finished with his meat. He never had been one to slow down and savor his meals. He hadn't really had the time as a thief, and because he usually didn't eat, he just quickly took in as much food as he could to prepare himself for the long period between meals. That was mainly why he didn't eat much: he knew how to ignore hunger until it got to be too much to bear. Ryou, on the other hand, seemed totally different. The look on his face while eating those small pastries... it was pure bliss. Bakura thought it was kind of strange how much he enjoyed the food. He'd never had one himself, not that he much cared to try one, but he assumed it must really have been something special to make Ryou look like... _that_.

He finished off the rest of his steak and put the plate to the side. The thief watched Ryou as he finished eating, biting back a laugh at the mess he was making. Funny, he was usually so neat and tidy about everything. Well, except when they decided to get intimate. Bakura supposed that creampuffs were just another exception. But this was something he could live with. Even though he hadn't been inclined to try creampuffs before, he thought now might be a good time to get at least a little taste of one. He made his way over to Ryou slowly and smoothly, sitting on the bed with him and putting an arm around Ryou's shoulders so he could hold the boy in place; Bakura used his free hand to turn Ryou to look at him, then leaned in and licked a small amount of cream from the corner of his lips. _It's sweet..._ he thought. Then he laughed and licked some more cream from Ryou's lips. _You can be so messy sometimes, Yadonushi,_he teased before kissing him slowly. It didn't last too long, because Bakura pulled away and laughed.

"You should get some more sleep," he mumbled, though he couldn't resist kissing his host again. This time he pushed Ryou softly so that they were both lying down, then moved off of him to lie down by his side. Bakura pushed some hair out of Ryou's eyes, then tried to clean some of the residual sugar and cream left on his face. He found that, oddly enough, he liked the taste of creampuffs, even though he hadn't actually had one of the real desserts. He made a mental note to get some more for Ryou tomorrow, as soon as he could. For now, though, they both needed sleep if they were going to be well enough for the next day.

Ryou cuddled more against Bakura the moment he stirred. He disliked having to move away from his source of comfort but he knew that he had to get out of bed soon. He was going to meet up with Yuugi and the others for a mini-game tournament in the Game Shop by lunch and he had a lot of chores to finish. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes before planting a kiss on the other's cheek. He walked towards the bathroom, looking at himself on the mirror. The bruises on his neck seemingly multiplied- making it harder for him to hide the item. After taking a bath, he was about to put on the Millennium Ring when he realized what he talked to Yuugi about the day before. He also forgot to ask about what happened during the confrontation with the pharaoh yesterday. Whatever it was, he hoped that they have already dismissed the idea that Bakura was back.

He made sure that he finished washing the dirty clothes in the hamper, knowing that he was going to run out of clothes soon. He thought about his plan for a second before looking at the clock. It was around 8 AM and his thief would not wake up for a couple more hours. He made his way towards the thief king's abode, looking around for necessities that he might need. He saw cash everywhere he could find, almost tempted to get the items. He shook his head twice, knowing that it was technically stealing and stealing from a thief is not such a good idea. After packing all of Bakura's clothes in a duffel bag he brought for himself, he made his way back only to be seen by Jounouchi along the way. The blonde boy waved at him as Ryou nodded in recognition of his friend. "Hey Bakura! Where are you going with such a big bag? You're not leaving the city, are you?"

Ryou simply smiled politely, "I just finished some laundry and I'm about to head home. I'll see you in the Game Shop later, Jounouchi,"he said, immediately ending their little talk. Ryou walked back to his house, realizing that most of Bakura's clothes were crumpled and some were not yet washed. He sighed almost reluctantly, wishing he had joined the loads in one wash but nonetheless, he simply placed them in the washing machine. It was around 9 AM at that point in time when he started cooking breakfast. He prepared some bacon and eggs and some tea for himself. It was too early to have tea but he liked having his Jasmine Tea in the morning. He walked up, checked on both Bakura and Marik, realizing that both were still asleep. Ryou walked inside Marik's room, brushing some of the hair out of his pained face. Ryou disliked putting people in this much pain but it could not be helped, right?

Marik woke up, looking at his captor indifferently. His situation could be worse, right? Marik's eyes softened a little when Ryou's expression of innocence greeted him. "Bakura has a habit of disposing things that he does not really need. Soon enough he will dispose of you too, Ryou. Why do you trust him this much? And don't tell me you love him. How can you love someone like him?" Ryou smiled at him, patting his head a little. The smile itself was eerie- as if it was too innocent and knowing at the same time. "You should know when to hold your tongue, Marik. Need I remind you that your life is-" "Held by you; I understand. I'm just saying, you trust the wrong person. Unlike the pharaoh, he cannot be trusted. He kills people out of joy and out of excitement! You cannot possibly like him that way."

At this point in time, Ryou's hand immediately found Marik's neck, gripping at it lightly. He could hear the tan boy choke as Ryou narrowed his eyes at him. "The pharaoh was the one who ordered the death of a town in order to make those little trinkets of his. How can you call that trustworthy? He's worse that Bakura-sama." With that, he released the boy, making his way near the door, "Why are you concerned in the first place? It's not like we're close or something." _'I don't even know why,'_ he thought, watching the boy leave the room. What exactly was happening with Marik?

Until he started hearing noise coming from down the hall (voices, Bakura realized), Bakura hadn't even known that Ryou had gotten out of the bed. He woke up slowly, stretching and yawning, sitting up by himself. Soon enough he figured out that one of the voices was Ryou, the other one being Marik. He wondered what they were talking about, then looked over to the Millennium Rod, which had been placed on the desk in the corner of the room. The thief went over and took a hold of it, testing it out a little bit and finding that he could hear Marik's thoughts again. He closed his eyes, and briefly, he could see through the Egyptian's eyes... but he stopped testing that out right away, not wanting to really get involved with whatever Ryou and Marik had been talking about. If it was important, he would find out without prying into things.

Bakura realized he was still wearing the clothes he had changed into last night and decided not to bother with changing for now. He could do that later, and besides, he wanted to see Ryou now. By the time he left the boy's room, said boy was coming out of Marik's. Before Ryou could even turn around, Bakura had him by the waist, using one hand to cover the boy's eyes. "What was that all about?"He asked, tone not even remotely bothered. He might have been talking about Ryou's little 'talk' with Marik, or perhaps just about him getting up and leaving the thief alone in bed. Either way, he laughed and kissed Ryou's cheek. He felt well-rested and ready to do something, but unfortunately he knew he would have to stay away from Ryou for a while, when he left to be with Yuugi and his friends. At least physically - he could still be there through their mind link, and Marik was, as Ryou had put it last night, his 'vessel' for a while.

Before he could say anything else, he heard a noise coming from downstairs. He wondered what it could have been, then realized it was someone knocking at the door. He growled darkly, urging Ryou to go and answer it, because it was probably Yuugi. He would have much rather held Ryou back and had some more fun with him, but that wasn't an option at the moment. "Don't keep Pharaoh waiting, now,"he teased.

When Ryou opened the door, Yuugi was there along with his other friends, smiling happily at Ryou. "Sorry if we're early!" He said. "Jounouchi told us he saw you earlier, so we thought we would come pick you up. But if you're still not ready, we can just wait for you, if you want." If only Yuugi really knew just how intrusive he was being. But he really had no idea what was going on earlier, let alone the fact that Marik was still in this house and not at the hospital where he was supposed to be. He couldn't even feel all the dark energy coming off of Ryou, or from this place in general. He was completely oblivious to the fact that all seven Millennium Items were here, the final one brought by him. "We thought we would go to the hospital to check on Marik and Ishizu too, if you were feeling up to it."

From upstairs, Bakura was listening intently to the conversation. He figured it would be best to let Marik know that his presence would be required soon. He went into the Egyptian's temporary room and crossed his arms. "Hope you're ready to put up a convincing performance today," he hissed, smirking as the Egyptian fixed him with an angry glare. "You're so terribly good at manipulating people when you need to be. And I think that right now, you really do need to put those talents to good use." He laughed again, opening the door for Marik to come out. He warned the other not to go downstairs yet. "Wait for Ryou to come get you."

Marik looked down at the ground, gritting his teeth in anger and resentment. "You'll pay for this. Both of you. Believe me." The boy's words only made Bakura laugh. He didn't have a choice in this matter, but that didn't mean he was happy to be going along with these twisted plans Bakura and his Hikari had come up with. The mocking laughter he could hear from Bakura only made him seethe further. "Don't be like that. If you're not your normal self, they might get suspicious. And if that happens... well, you already know what the consequences will be." Bakura laughed again, putting a hand on Marik's shoulder in mock-comfort. He was enjoying himself way too much.

Ryou could not help but be somewhat startled the moment Yuugi and the others were there already. He thought they had an arrangement that they would meet up in the Game Shop so seeing them in his house all giddy was somewhat shocking. "I'll just change into some clothes," he said before realizing that he still had some clothes left in the dryer. He ran to the clothes and then ran up the stairs, earning a look of confusion on the part of Jounouchi. _'I thought he already finished his laundry... Maybe those we for the sheets,'_ he thought, nodding to himself. The white-haired boy shoved the basket in Bakura's arms the moment he saw the thief. _'I got you your change of clothes and washed them already, Yami-sama. I'll see you in a while, so don't be jealous of the pharaoh too much, alright?'_he said through the link, finding it very risky to talk to him.

"A-Actually, Yuugi-kun. Mariku's in the house right now. He was discharged earlier on and I bumped into him after I met up with Jounouchi. I-uhm... asked him to stay over for a while since his sister's,"his voice trailed off as if he was sorry for the tan boy. Ryou pressed the thief against the door; luckily his friends were near the living room so they were obscured from their line of sight. He pressed his lips against the thief's, making their kiss chaste. The boy groaned a little the moment he took a taste of the thief before pulling him in a passionate kiss. He just could not help himself. It took all of his self control to remove himself from the arms of the thief before smiling at him. The boy then proceeded to grabbing Marik's arm before pulling him downstairs, earning a shocked gasp from Jounouchi.

"Marik! Man, you scared us! Are you alright? Were you mugged or something?" the blonde boy said, looking at the Egyptian. "A-Anou... I think we should just talk in the Game Shop, Don't you think? Or at least reserve the questions for later. I think that Mariku's still a bit tired from staying in the hospital the whole day yesterday," Ryou suggested, simply getting them out of the house. His friends simply agreed to the proposition, chatting away as they talked about everything and anything under the sun. Ryou's expression was slightly happier that day, feeling fulfilled for the past few days. "You seem happy today, Bakura," Honda said, grinning lightly, "And it seems like your little girly has created a few more of those bites. Or wait a minute... If Marik's the only other person in your house then... HOLY CRAP!"

Jounouchi gasped as well, looking at Ryou. "Y-You and Marik? I guess that's not that hard to imagine with your girly looks and all- no offense of course, Bakura," he said, still shocked with the fact that their friend might be gay. Ryou simply smiled, realizing that being linked to Marik like this would actually throw the suspicions of off Bakura once and for all. If you think about it, if Ryou really did have Marik as a boyfriend, then it would justify the 'dazed' expressions on his face and the overall different side of his personality. Ryou giggled, wrapping an arm around Marik's, "I just could not get him off of me!" he exclaimed before he burst out, laughing. "We're... Not together yet, guys. It's just that... I-I-I do have special feelings for him," he stuttered, referring to another 'him' as he blushed deeply. Jounouchi blinked, looking at Ryou and then back at Marik and then back at Ryou again, "I'm fine with it as long as you don't go around, romping each other in public," he said, shrugging slightly.

* * *

The thief let out an agitated sigh when Ryou and Marik left with their friends. He was reluctant to even let Ryou go, not just because he wanted to keep the boy to himself for a while, but mostly because he didn't trust the Pharaoh, or even Marik, not to screw something up for them. Marik they could deal with if he got a little bit too mouthy, but... _Wait a second._Bakura smirked to himself. He had just come up with an idea of sorts, but it would be risky... but not too much. No, that would work if they timed it properly. He would tell Ryou later, when he didn't have more pressing things to deal with.

For now, the thief was content just to watch what was going on elsewhere. He found that he didn't really need to hold the Millennium Rod while trespassing in Marik's mind, but it strengthened him enough that he could do things normally impossible, like see through the Egyptian's eyes and hear what he heard. It was still pretty early in their outing, so he didn't think he needed to know much... but it was better to be safe. Bakura went to fetch the Millennium Rod, closing his eyes and concentrating on where Ryou and Marik were and what they were doing.

* * *

Marik had simply followed Ryou obediently, not looking up from the ground even as they walked. He seemed to be visibly angry, and stayed quiet enough to make that seem believable. He shook his head at Jounouchi's question, shrugging lightly. "No... Not mugged, exactly..." He chanced a quick glance at Ryou and growled. "I... really couldn't tell you what happened. Even if I wanted to..."He grit his teeth and stayed quiet again, at least until Ryou started talking. He knew that he would have to be careful with what he said, given Ishizu's predicament.

When Ryou clung to his arm, Marik visibly stiffened. He remembered to put on a stunned face, trying to lend credibility to this crazy idea Ryou seemed to get. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, muttering, "Th-they don't have to... you didn't need to say anything." He might have felt better if Ryou hadn't because now he had a bit of explaining to do if the point was pressed. He looked at Jounouchi almost apologetically. "No, don't worry; we won't do anything like... that... in public." He sighed. _If I even tried something, the Spirit of the Ring would be all over me in a second. I don't really fancy that idea. _The Egyptian could have sworn he heard said Spirit's laughter as soon as he thought that. He shrugged it off, hoping he was just delusional.

He pulled Ryou a little closer, lagging behind the rest of the group a few seconds to hiss in his ear. "I don't know what you're trying to do, convincing them we're together," he mumbled. "But if it's going to work, you might want to think about why your neck is covered in hickeys and mine isn't. Not to mention how you got them from me the two nights I spent in a coma. Or even how you got the first ones, when I wasn't even around." Marik hadn't been aware that his dark side had posed as him at school, though he did know that the crazed Yami had used his body. He didn't even have any idea why he was trying to get Ryou to fill in the gaps in the story... he shouldn't care, because he doubted anybody there would have questioned them anyway, but he decided that it must have been because he just wanted to make sure Ishizu would be safe.

Ryou's eyes looked at the group before squeezing Marik's arm a little. "Believe me. One of these bite marks belong to you- or at least your set of teeth," he muttered in response to the comment. He shifted a little, mindful of his own words. He did not want to accidentally say something that he might eventually regret. "I'll fix that problem soon enough," he whispered.

They got to the Game Shop some time later and Yuugi opened the door. They had decided to skip the hospital for the time being because Marik had been checked out that morning and probably didn't need to see Ishizu again. The short teen invited them in, but he had a bad feeling about something, though he didn't know what. _Does something feel a little bit... off to you?_ He asked his other self. Hopefully the Pharaoh could tell him that he was just being silly and paranoid, but Yuugi just couldn't shake this weird feeling he was having.

Several board games and card decks were placed everywhere as if a tournament would take place. Ryou was rather happy to take a time off from all the plotting but then again, his thoughts would immediately go back to Bakura the moment he starts to lose his focus on the game. Suddenly, Jounouchi came back with an empty bottle at hand. "Hey guys! We always play Duel Monsters. Let's play something else. How about a healthy game of truth and dare?" he said, grinning at the 'couple' at the corner.

Marik couldn't believe what he was hearing. Truth or Dare, really? What were they, preteen girls? But in a way, he wasn't surprised; he figured that everyone would want to see proof that he and Ryou were in some sort of relationship. He just hoped that the bottle didn't end up pointing to either of them... but of course, fate was not kind to Marik. He should have expected what was coming.

He frowned briefly, but then changed his expression to show a bit of a pleasant surprise. He was a good actor, thankfully, because nobody seemed to raise an objection. He was relieved when Ryou told him it wouldn't mean anything, but then again, there was a part of him that couldn't flat-out say he hated the idea of kissing Ryou. He always had found the pale boy somewhat attractive... but thinking about which he had been involved with lately and the way he and his Yami were threatening him, the idea seemed repulsive right now. Still, he went ahead with it, more because of the threat hanging over him than anything else. Or at least that was what Marik told himself.

The white-haired boy tilted his head to the side as he tried to understand as to why Jounouchi was looking at them rather _suggestively_ as the blonde boy gripped the bottle at hand. Soon enough, he was pulled into the circle with Marik and Yuugi at either side of him. "I don't think I'd want to' "Oh come on, Bakura! It'll be fun!" Anzu said, wanting to play the game as well. Soon enough, Jounouchi spun the bottle and it landed on Ryou. _'Of all the rotten luck...'_ he thought as he looked up at his grinning friend. "So, Bakura! Truth or Dare!" he exclaimed, making Ryou think things through. He knew that if he actually said truth, then they might ask him something along the lines of 'Why do you like in Marik?' and all those things. Unfortunately, he did not know much about the Egyptian to answer those questions. He knew that he was acquaintances with Bakura and save for the small meeting they had in the museum and in the cafe, they did not exactly talk beforehand. "I guess... Dare?"

The word only made Jounouchi grin even more. Alright, alright, he did not exactly like men but it would be fun to know if Ryou was telling the truth about him and Marik. "I dare ya to kiss Marik! For a whole minute!" "And none of those granny kisses! It has to be a full on lip lock!" Honda urged on as he liked where this was going. As far as he was concerned, Ryou might have been kidding about Marik the whole time and he actually had been seeing Miho behind their backs. After all, Honda had a crush on Miho and if Ryou was to agree with this dare, then he would surely have a chance with her now, right? Ryou could not help but stare in horror at the two guys grinning at him. He shook his head, "Is it too late to change it to truth?" he asked, realizing that it was better to be pressed on about their so-called relationship. Jounouchi simply shook his head, wagging a forefinger at him. "The dare has been set, Bakura! Come on! Just kiss him!"

Ryou turned to face the Egyptian boy, hovering over him as he tilted his chin up a little. The last time he felt the set of lips on his was when the other Marik was still around. He looked at the other's lavender gaze, sensing the confusion in it. "Don't think this means anything," he whispered in his ear, making sure that Marik was the only one who heard the comment. He pulled back and then stared at his eyes again before closing his, pressing his lips against Marik's. It felt awkward, kissing him like this when all he could think of was Bakura but he had to admit, he felt a certain spark the moment their lips met like that. It was weird- as if he was actually enjoying himself with it. He could feel a sudden pull from the Egyptian, causing him to gasp a little. The 'innocent' kiss suddenly turned into a passionate lip lock that ended after a minute. Jounouchi's jaw dropped as he stared at the blushing Ryou, still shocked with what happened. Yami, on the other hand, was slowly losing his mistrust on Ryou. This somehow explains everything, right? _'Have fun with your friends, Aibou. We'll deal with Bakura later. It seems as if we're worrying over nothing,'_he said through the mind link before entering his soul room.

The Egyptian closed his eyes, and though at first he wasn't sure what to do with himself, he ended up pulling Ryou closer to himself, exploring the boy's mouth with his tongue. He could feel something spike in the back of his mind, and suddenly he was kind of angry, but he tried to suppress that feeling. Of course, it wouldn't work, because the weird things he was feeling were because of Bakura invading his mind. For a moment Marik was wondering if it was really the King of Thieves that was kissing Ryou.

_Of course it isn't. It's too risky for me to possess your body right now,_the thief snapped. Obviously, he was irritated. But hearing his voice in his head surprised Marik, mostly because he hadn't been expecting it, and he pulled away from Ryou in shock. Thankfully the required time had already passed so nobody was suspicious. Marik blushed, trying to catch his breath and debated whether or not he should make a remark to Bakura about how good Ryou was at kissing. He decided against it when he heard what he assumed was the Thief King growling inside his head.

Yuugi smiled, completely happy with his two friends. He had never expected them to get together - hell, Yuugi wasn't even aware they had feelings for each other at all - but seeing them like this made him happy. Though there was still something a little off about this whole thing, but he didn't know what it was. He looked at Marik and Bakura, both blushing, then to his own Yami, and blushed himself. He shouldn't be thinking about what those two got up to... but hold on a second. _Hey, look at Marik's neck,_ he said to his Yami. _He doesn't have any marks, but they're all over Bakura-kun._That was certainly odd, but he shook it off. Maybe Marik was just uncomfortable with that kind of thing, though the boy couldn't figure out why, considering the blonde wore shirts small enough to expose his stomach.

Before the next turn could be taken, the sound of the door opening was heard, and within moments the form of Seto Kaiba appeared in the doorway. He looked a little bit irritated, as usual, but he just had an air about him that implied he was here for a reason. "Bakura," he said, without so much as even greeting the others in the room. "I need to have a word with you." He motioned for the pale boy to come with him. However Kaiba had figured out that Ryou was in the game shop, he didn't say. He didn't need to; all he needed were answers.

Bakura, of course, knew everything that was happening. He growled to himself, then switched from speaking with Marik to re-opening the link between himself and his Hikari._ Go with him,_ he said. _Don't tell him anything just yet. _He then turned his attention back on Marik when he saw Ryou getting up to go with Kaiba. _What are you waiting for? Go with him!_

Marik glanced at Ryou nervously, still playing his part. He could feel Bakura getting kind of anxious, but said nothing and just stood up. "I'm going with him," he said. The Egyptian gave Kaiba a challenging look, as if daring him to refuse. Seto said nothing, and led the two of them out of the room.

* * *

**Preview for Chapter 18: **Triple Debt Threat.**  
**

Bakura smirked against his Hikari's neck at the moans he was hearing. It was true, Ryou was being 'punished' in a sense... but that didn't mean he didn't want the boy not to enjoy this. No, that would defeat the whole purpose of this 'punishment'. He wasn't done yet, not by a long shot.

He moved to another spot on Ryou's neck, completing another mark before being pushed away by his Hikari. That question irked him, slightly; yes, he was jealous, any idiot could tell that, and even Bakura himself knew it. He just didn't want to admit it directly, so instead he laughed. "What do you think, Yadonushi?" He countered, though really this was his way of admitting that he was, in fact, jealous. Even though he had no reason to be. But the thief wasn't one to pass up opportunities like this, especially not when he could have so much fun with them.

* * *

**Punishment and jealousy? What else did Ryou do?**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	18. Triple Debt Threat

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

Here's Chapter 18, lovelies! As promised, I'm trying to post as often as I can. Thank you to all the lurkers and to the readers of this stories. Reviews are not the clear manifestation of how many people are reading this story. I mean, 108 visitors just for MAY? You guys make me and Chiba-kun sooooo happy! :) So yeah, I would like to thank the readers, the people who placed this story on their favorite list or alert list, and just the supporters in general!

I started to fix the other chapters too and it seems that the story is actually pulling to a close... That is, the DOMINO ARC WILL CONCLUDE IN 3 CHAPTERS! I know what you're thinking: "But Bakura still hasn't killed the pharaoh! The story can't end yeeeeet!" I agree! Let's just say that the end of this arc would be the start of a new beginning.

**GUESS WHICH ARC IS NEXT? PUT IT IN YOUR REVIEWS OR JUST MESSAGE ME! The lucky guesser or something might get a sneak preview of the next arc. Mwahahaha!**

Alright then! Just sit back, relax, and please read and review. I la-la-love you guys! :3

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**Chapter 18: **The Triple Debt Threat

"That Marik sure is a biter! I know who tops in their relationship!" he exclaimed the moment both Ryou and Marik were out of the room. It was suspicious for him too, of course, but if Marik was truly the dominant one in the relationship, then it would mean that lesser marks would be found on him. Yami could not help but blush deeply the moment Yuugi brought that up. A familiar feeling ran up his stomach, making him feel slightly queasy. If only he could have a taste of his Aibou- just for a small while. The pharaoh simply shook his head before dismissing the perverted idea that was running through his head. _'Maybe Ryou is not one to give hickeys...'_he said through the mind link, wondering if they were just being too paranoid with Ryou. Maybe, there was nothing to worry about, right?

The second the words left Jounouchi's mouth, Yuugi blushed. "H-hey! We shouldn't be judging them like that!" He said. His blush only grew more pronounced, however, because he had just ten seconds ago been thinking about the hickeys that Marik had supposedly left. He still wasn't completely convinced, though. _Bakura-kun's usually so shy, he wouldn't want to show off the fact that he's been... you know..._Yuugi looked away again, down at his hands folded in his lap. He was fidgeting a little bit awkwardly, but given that he was speculating about his friends' sex lives... well, it was kind of a natural thing to do. Jounouchi and Honda didn't seem to get that, although Anzu was being quiet about it, thankfully. Though she was probably just thinking about it and not saying anything, it was still better that she remained silent about the whole issue.

Yami could not help but stare at his Aibou, careful not to let him notice the way he stared at him. The look on Yuugi's face was just too powerful that it was already drawing the pharaoh to him, inching closer and closer. The pharaoh gulped the moment his fantasies started flooding in his head. He wondered what Yuugi would look like, blushing the way he did while the pharaoh takes- The said leader simply cleared his throat as he wondered if it was truly alright for them to be talking about these things. He felt uncomfortable and at the same time, he felt needy and yet he cannot get the thing that he wanted. As the pharaoh, he would simply snap his fingers and immediately, all he wanted would be presented to him on a silver platter. But Yuugi? No, he had to work for the said boy. If only he had his own body to work with, then maybe he had an equal chance. Suddenly his eyes shot open, _'Aibou! What if the thief somewhat captured another body of his own and has been... Taking advantage of your friend?'_

Yuugi had no idea what to make of anything anymore. He was questioning his friends, Kaiba had pulled them away to talk with them and they still hadn't come back, his Yami was acting strangely... and worst of all, what he said would have made sense. If the spirit of the Ring had managed to get a new body... _You don't think... Marik? _He asked, trying to put the pieces together himself. He wondered if somehow the Spirit was using Marik or possessing him. It didn't sound too far-fetched, but then again, Marik had spent some time in a coma. The Spirit of the Ring wouldn't have allowed that to happen if it was really him. _Nothing makes sense... and I don't think talking to him will help at this point. But maybe Marik knows something...?_It was as good a lead as any, and right now that was all that they had to go off of.

Yami was actually staring at the said boy for a good few seconds before snapping out of his daze. _'I-I uh... Don't think that Marik's being controlled by the Spirit of the Ring. The Dark Energy around him is simply normal- being the former keeper of the Rod. I think what I said was more of a far-fetched idea,'_ he said through the link, blushing somewhat. He could not deny the fact that he was actually envisioning himself with the boy before he started talking again. Maybe it was because the boy looked too innocent to the point that the pharaoh simply wanted to shove him down the couch and take him on the spot. _'But uh... If you think that it's best for us to talk to Marik then we shall do it when Bakura's not around. Unfortunately, he's staying in his... Boyfriend's house right?'_The Yami once again gulped at the word, somewhat going back to his own mini-fantasy in mind. There was just something about Yuugi that was slowly drawing him in- almost tempting him to make the right moves.

Yuugi nodded without thinking. His friends had all gone home be now, so he could be a little more free with talking to the Pharaoh. His grandpa was working in the shop downstairs, so talking out loud would be fine now. He looked at his other self and blushed at the look he saw there. It was just so... unlike him... but Yuugi could not say he minded. In fact, he kind of liked the attention, even if he knew he shouldn't or that he was probably wrong for assuming things. "Yeah... um, I think maybe he was just staying for the day? I can't remember what they said, but, um... yeah. If we sent a message or something..."

* * *

Ryou was confused. His heart was still racing and his cheeks were still flushed. However, the one thing that was bothering him was the fact that he had not felt anything coming from Bakura. Usually, concern and all those emotions would travel through their mind link but there was nothing going on as of now. He fidgeted a little, wondering if Bakura was alright with everything; oblivious with the fact that he was already snapping back at the tomb keeper for even letting the kiss happen in the first place.

Ryou watched as Seto entered his limo, wondering if he was going to follow him or something. He watched as the former CEO somewhat glare at him and force him to go inside the said vehicle. With that, he jumped in the limo without a second thought. Ryou's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at Seto, tilting his head to the side as he feigned innocence. Marik was just beside him, and yet he still felt uneasy- like they were outnumbered for some reason. He did not know why but he could not help but feel that Seto knew something about the Millennium Rod. "You needed to talk to me?"

Somewhat instinctively, his hand fell to his side, on top of the Egyptian's. He held Marik's hand in his, mostly out of fear that something might go horribly wrong. He gave the hand a slight squeeze, pretending that it was Bakura's hands even for just a split second. They had gone so far to go back to step one. It would just be too tedious if they have to plan the pharaoh's defeat all over again.

"If it's about the incident in the Kaiba Corporation, I know nothing of it. I have already told you all that I know. What do I have to say to get it through your head?" he asked, his voice getting louder after every sentence. It was as if he just wanted to shove his foot inside the CEO's mouth just because he was too annoying. _'It's impossible for him to know about what happened that day. Bakura-sama covered our tracks well,'_ he thought as the car started to move.

Kaiba had deliberately waited until someone else broke the silence to begin what he had come here to do. "This is exactly about what happened at Kaiba Corp. You see, something seemed to come together last night. I think you know more than you're letting on about the theft - namely, who did it." He studied the boy's expression for any change, and found none. Marik, however, seemed completely unsure of what was happening. But it was good that he was there, because Kaiba had known about the Egyptian's history with the Millennium Rod, and perhaps he could find out who took it (if it indeed wasn't Ryou or Marik himself). He continued on, hoping to drag more information out of his former employee: "You left some things unattended to before leaving that night... much later than usual, I might add." He was careful not to specify what, exactly, he meant.

Marik didn't know what to make of all this. He didn't know what had been stolen, but he assumed it was the Millennium Rod seeing as Ryou and his Yami did have it, and he had heard rumors that Kaiba had it before them. But he couldn't very well say anything, what with his life and Ishizu's life being threatened constantly. That would definitely get them killed... though he was starting to doubt if Ryou were capable of murder. He looked down at his hand where Ryou was squeezing; becoming even further convinced that the threats were hollow. Marik really didn't know what to make of that, until Bakura's voice popped in his head. _Don't just sit there, comfort him! Even if you don't want to do it for him, at least make yourself look convincing! _He sighed and took Ryou's hand, giving him a stern look, but not a hard one. Even if Ryou _was_ bluffing, the Spirit of the Ring probably wasn't. It was best to just stay quiet.

Said spirit was feeling more confident about keeping up the mind link now. Hell, he could even take over Marik's entire being right now because Kaiba didn't even believe in the power of the Millennium Items. He wouldn't be able to tell if there was some sort of dark powers at play. He smirked and contacted Ryou. _He's lying to you. I made sure everything was accounted for and that there were no witnesses. He can't do anything to you, so see if you can play this to your advantage._

He opted not to control Marik for now, instead just giving him instructions when necessary. Fortunately, the conversation was still mostly between Kaiba and Ryou. Marik being there was more to cover up for the boy's lie about them being together than anything else. He could only hope that neither of them screwed up now, because that would put the plan he was coming up with on hold. It might even ruin the whole thing, but the thief was making sure to plan ahead if that turned out to be the case.

Ryou looked up at Seto, wondering as to why he would blatantly bluff about these kinds of situations. "If you have proof now then so be it. Present it to me," he said, his hand slowly letting go of the hand holding him. In truth, he did not want Marik to be there, comforting him and such. He wanted the thief king to be there- his thief king. At this point in time, everything was getting blurred; his conscience getting overpowered by the need to protect his own Yami. In truth, he hated being like this and yet he knew what he had to do. He knew that he had to protect the identity of the thief king at all costs- even if he had to lie about everything else. "I don't understand as to why you're pinning everything to me. Is it really my fault that I left the office later that evening? I was preparing your materials for your presentation to the board of directors," he said, the look on his face apathetic already.

The car stopped in front of the big office of Kaiba Corporation as the chauffeur urged them to get out of the car. "I would prefer it if you do not blatantly grab me from my friends, Seto Kaiba. I am no longer affiliated with you or your company so nothing gives you the right to suddenly grab me whenever you want," he stated, meaning what he was saying. Ryou gave the said CEO a hard glare before walking away from the building just like what he had a few days ago. He could notice that Marik was trailing behind. It was then that Ryou turned a little as he waited for the Egyptian. "You do not have to walk behind me. I'm not that bad for company," he muttered, making their way home. Today had been more unproductive than what the boy had planned it to be when he realized that there was a slight flaw in his plans to trick the pharaoh and his vessel.

In the meantime, The Spirit of the Ring was at home, trying to figure out what his next move would be. His earlier plan would still work, but now he was making some adjustments to it. Kaiba showing up had done some damage, but not enough to totally wreck all his plans. He would just have to rethink a few points... No. Things would work out; he just needed Kaiba to say something to Yuugi. Even if he didn't, it would still work, but Kaiba's involvement would be beneficial.

"What you said is true, Marik. You do need to have... marks on your neck as well," he muttered. _'I'm sorry, Bakura-sama,'_ he said through the link as he pulled the Egyptian boy to a rather dark alleyway. He knew that he had to do it in here for if they were to do it in the house, who knows what would happen to Marik? He took in the other's scent, feeling a slight tingle but other than that, he felt rather apathetic about it. He then pressed his lips against the tan boy's neck. He licked, bit, and sucked at every exposed skin he would find. At that moment, Bakura narrowed his eyes at what he was feeling through Marik. Sure, he heard the apologies over and over again, but they weren't really consoling him. He knew it was just to convince Yuugi that his Yadonushi and Marik were together, but Bakura still didn't like it. They might not even have needed it anymore... but he would make this work too, no matter how angry he was over it. He simply didn't answer his Hikari's apologies.

Soon enough, Marik's neck mirrored Bakura's. However, Ryou could not help but feel that there was something pressing against him. This caused the boy to pull away from Marik. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, wondering as to why it would be like that. "It meant nothing, Marik. You should have a little more self control," he muttered, looking away as he blushed. In truth, he actually like hearing that deep groans that escaped the tan boy's lips and yet throughout the act, he could only think of Bakura. At this point in time, guilt rushed to his system. "I-I'll tell Yuugi that we have already gone home."

The thief waited for his Yadonushi to get home. When he did, Bakura hoped the boy wouldn't come upstairs. He was going to do something to just show how displeased he was with what had happened. It was just too bad for Marik; really. He was so unfortunate to be caught up in this mess. But then again, it was his fault for getting involved in the first place. If he had just been good, like he had promised the stupid Pharaoh, none of this would be happening to him. But he wasn't, and Bakura found he didn't mind that in the least.

Marik had followed Ryou into the kitchen. "Look... I know you did what you thought you had to. But nobody was saying anyth - Ah! Auuugh!" Marik cried out in obvious pain, clutching his chest before collapsing on the floor just behind where Ryou was preparing something to eat. He was unconscious and unmoving, but still breathing. If Ryou were to inspect Marik's body, he wouldn't find anything that might have made him collapse. No, his fainting had been Bakura's doing.

Said thief was careful to close off the link between him and Ryou before moving down the stairs without making a noise. He had taken care of Marik already... at least partially. Now it was just Ryou he needed to deal with. Before the boy could even hear him, the thief had come up behind him and dragged him over to the wall, pinning him against it with a dark, angry smirk on his face. "Oh, Yadonushi... you truly are willing to go to any lengths to keep secrets from your friends, aren't you?" He asked. A hand tangled painfully in Ryou's hair, pulling him so that he couldn't look away from the thief's dangerously narrowed eyes. "I can accept that you were willing to lie... Kissing him was unfortunately necessary… But what you just did? I'm not happy with that at all."

He laughed darkly, and before Ryou could even protest, the Thief King tugged on his hair again. "You see... I like to think of you as mine. I don't want them thinking Marik stole you away. He doesn't deserve you." Another short laugh and the thief crushed their lips together. It may have seemed odd, speaking like this to Ryou when he was clearly angry, and yet instead of actually doing something to hurt him, he was kissing him hungrily. A hand went underneath Ryou's shirt, pressing lightly against his skin before starting to scratch him, not enough to draw scary amounts of blood, but enough to make it sting pleasantly. He was laughing quietly when he stopped kissing his Hikari and started to lick at his neck, trying to copy just what they boy had done to Marik.

"B-Bakura-sama," he stuttered before wincing at the pain from being held like this. The hand on his hair was tugging tight- as if in a desperate attempt to hold onto him. One eye was shut tight while the other was only slightly open, looking into the dark stare that came from his darker counterpart. Ryou blinked once- twice- before trying to understand what was going on. Just when was about to crack the code as to why said Yami was acting this way, he felt the other's lips on his. His thief king was clearly upset- kissing him so hungrily as if trying to tell him that he is the true owner of the white-haired Hikari. As crazy as it may sound, Ryou did not find the act scary or disturbing at all. To a certain extent, these kinds of moves were partially missed by the pseudo-masochistic Hikari.

Ryou could not help but gasp into the kiss the moment he felt the other's nails dig into his skin. This only gave an opportunity for the Yami to shove his tongue inside the other's mouth, exploring it. The boy could feel his knees shake a little from the mixture of pleasure and pain coming from the said thief. The moment he felt the other's tongue playing around with his neck, he pressed himself against the wall even more. He could feel as if he was slipping already, unable to hold his weight due to the immense pleasure given to him. Ryou brought his hand up, unbuttoning the top most buttons of his shirt to give the thief a little more space. By now, Ryou's neck was covered with love bites of different shapes and sizes. Some were slowly fading away while some were fresh from their last session. Ryou groaned a little, closing his eyes, unsure of what to feel at the moment. He felt somewhat bad that he was starting to enjoy this pleasurable and yet painful encounter with the thief king. After all, it's not really a good idea to suddenly moan out loud when you're being 'punished'.

"I-I am yours, Yami-sama. Yuugi was getting suspicious of the bites, so I had to do it," he explained himself in between moaning. He then pulled out something inside his pocket and with that, the Millennium Eye shone brightly. Apparently, Ryou was hearing the questions of Yuugi towards the pharaoh and he could tell that if he was not going to do something, they might truly find out something. Ryou suddenly blinked again before placing his hands on the other's shoulder, pushing him away for about a few centimeters from him to take a good look at his Yami. "Are you... Jealous, Bakura?" he asked, feeling his cheeks slowly changing in color. It just felt weird every time he would call him without an added 'master' here and there but it felt somewhat nice simply saying his name like that.

"Are you... Jealous of Marik? W-Why would you be jealous of him? Well, other than the fact that you own me... W-Why?" he asked, bordering on complete innocence and stupidity but nonetheless, the said Hikari was oblivious to the emotions of the said thief king.

Bakura smirked against his Hikari's neck at the moans he was hearing. It was true, Ryou was being 'punished' in a sense... but that didn't mean he didn't want the boy not to enjoy this. No, that would defeat the whole purpose of this 'punishment'. He wasn't done yet, not by a long shot.

He moved to another spot on Ryou's neck, completing another mark before being pushed away by his Hikari. That question irked him, slightly; yes, he was jealous, any idiot could tell that, and even Bakura himself knew it. He just didn't want to admit it directly, so instead he laughed. "What do you think, Yadonushi?" He countered, though really this was his way of admitting that he was, in fact, jealous. Even though he had no reason to be. But the thief wasn't one to pass up opportunities like this, especially not when he could have so much fun with them.

He pulled the end of Ryou's shirt up, exposing his chest and stomach, but not removing the shirt completely. He began to kiss his way down his host's body, stopping every now and then to leave another mark or to nip at him. He didn't bother to answer the other questions coming at him; instead teasing Ryou until it came to the point that doing too much more would bring him close to the edge - too close, as it were. So Bakura pulled away at the last second, giving one quick, chaste kiss to Ryou's lips and turning around. He smirked and shrugged, saying casually, "Ah! I forgot, I had some errands to run today, but I couldn't go out and bring the Millennium Rod with me. I'd better get going with them before it gets too late." He laughed quietly, then left the room. "Oh! And don't bother waking Marik up unless you desperately have to. I have plans for him, and he doesn't need to hear them yet."

With another laugh, Bakura opened the door and left the house. He only had a few things he wanted to do, and they wouldn't take long. He would probably be back long before anything happened, but just in case, he opened the mind link up between him and Ryou. If he needed to talk, then they could now. Part of him felt bad for leaving his beloved Hikari hanging like that, but part of him knew it was part of his punishment, and besides that Bakura really did have some things he wanted to do that day.

Ryou could only sigh in defeat the moment his Yami stopped whatever he was doing and simply decided to leave him there. The boy looked at the wall, feeling his rear make contact with the floor. He wondered as to why he was acting this way. He felt different and yet he could not say that different is totally bad. He actually liked the attention he was getting from his dark counterpart and he loved it when he was playful like this. However, he clearly disliked the fact that the Yami just left him hanging there. It was as if he did not want him anymore after what he did to Marik but clearly he was mistaken. He sighed lightly, totally confused by his Yami's actions to date. He could not say that he did not like it though.

He took a good look at Marik before sighing lightly. He propped the boy up a little and then literally dragged him towards his room. He placed him on the bed, giving him a quick stare before going to his own room. A smirk was placed on his lips as he stayed on the bed. If the thief king thought that it was alright to punish Ryou like that, then maybe he should do some counter-punishing as well. After all, the said thief king left him hanging and wanting for more. Can't say that he liked being in that position. His smirk only grew the moment he realized that their mind link was once again connected. At that moment, moans of pleasure could be heard through their mind link as the Hikari wondered as to what kind of reaction it garnered from Bakura.

Bakura couldn't help but blush when he heard what was going on the other side of the mind link. It was keeping him distracted enough that running his 'errands' were becoming slowly more difficult due to the images Bakura was imagining... but that wouldn't set him back too much. He was sort of getting used to it, anyway, when it seemed Ryou had finished off. The thief smirked; his Hikari really was too entertaining, even when they weren't near each other.

* * *

Just at that moment, he heard his grandpa coming up the stairs, talking away to someone else. That voice...! Yuugi looked back at his Yami, clearly unsure of what to do. The door opened after a knock and Kaiba was let into the room. Clearly, something bad was going on if Kaiba wanted to confront _him_. The boy decided to switch places with his other self for the time being.

"Yuugi," Kaiba started, already sounding irritated, "There's something we need to discuss. The theft at Kaiba Corporation... you know what was stolen, don't you?" He waited a beat, then continued. Regardless of whether or not Yuugi knew, the next thing he was going to say was probably going to tip him off anyway. "Hmph. I remember you saying something about that Ring Bakura is always wearing... something about it being able to detect Items just like it?" Of course, Seto Kaiba wasn't one to believe in myths like this, but if it gave him a lead, then he would take it. "Bakura has been acting strange lately, even for him. I was wondering if you knew anything about that."

Yuugi stayed silent, though it was plan to see he was starting to worry. In his spectral form that Kaiba could not see, he put a hand on his Yami's arm and looked at him anxiously. _You... you don't think he really... do you?_He couldn't even bring himself to say what was on his mind. Just what was going on with them?

For a split second, Yami saw that vulnerability in Yuugi once more and the temptation that they were alone in their room was truly taking a toll on him. He sighed lightly, looking at Yuugi almost needily when he was pulled to their body as he was staring at Seto. He blinked once or twice the moment he realized what the business man was talking about before nodding at the said observation. "I never knew you were observing Bakura that way, Kaiba. Why would you have the Millennium Rod in the first pla- Wait, don't answer that," he said, rolling his eyes somewhat. If there was truly something going on with Ryou then they should pay him a surprise visit, right? Yami sighed almost reluctantly, missing the chance to fool around with Yuugi as he placed a hand on Seto's shoulder. "Let's visit him then and talk to him where he cannot escape from us," he offered, upon hearing the fact that Ryou was the one who suddenly left the CEO's car.

Soon enough, they were ringing the doorbell in Ryou's house. Ryou jolted up from cleaning what was all over the bed. He wondered as to who it could be, knowing that Bakura would simply pick the lock the moment he reached the house. He headed downstairs, looking at a nearby window where he saw the pharaoh and the priest standing there- as if they were ready to attack Ryou at any time. _'Y-Yami-sama!'_ he said for the 8th time in the last 10 minutes but unlike what he was doing in the privacy of his own room, his voice was panicking- as if he was ready to faint from shock upon seeing them together like this. _'Y-Yami-sama... The pharaoh and the priest are outside the door... I-I-I-I think they know that we took the Millennium Rod or something. Well, all of the other Millennium Items are already hidden somewhere... But still!'_ he exclaimed, pressing his back against the wall. Maybe if he didn't answer the door, they'd just leave or something? Ryou sighed almost reluctantly before opening the door to his house. "Yes? Oh! Yuugi-kun! Kaiba-kun!" he exclaimed before smiling at the two boys in front of his house.

What he heard afterward made him panic. The Pharaoh and the Priest were there already? Maybe he shouldn't have gone out, after all. Bakura cursed himself for making such a bad decision, but it wasn't something that he couldn't undo. At least partially. _Yadonushi, I don't have the Millennium Rod with me. I don't know if Marik will wake up when I tell him to now, but if he doesn't come downstairs in five minutes, wake him up yourself, okay? I'm going to give him instructions. Don't question anything he does; trust me._

Within seconds, Marik had actually woken up. He was obviously confused about what was going on, not having known he would collapse of course. He was about to check if the door was locked when he heard Bakura's voice in his mind, giving him instructions on what to do. Though Marik couldn't say he knew what the thief was up to or even why he was saying something that would hurt them so badly, but he wasn't about to object. He opened up the door to his temporary room and went down the stairs. "Ryou? Hey, Ryou, is someone here?" He then caught sight of Yuugi - no, the Pharaoh - and Kaiba sitting down across from the boy he had called for. He went and sat with them, too.

"Hey, Ryou, why don't you make us some tea before we start here?" The Egyptian suggested. "I would do it myself, but I don't remember where you keep the teabags or sugar." He gave the boy a meaningful look and added under his breath, "Bakura wants me to talk to them alone for a while. Just give me a few minutes." He smiled pleasantly until the pale Hikari left the room, then sighed and turned to look at Kaiba and Yuugi sternly. "Look, I don't know why you're here, but I have to warn you. Be careful around Ryou, because something isn't right about him right now. I don't know what it is, but it's been bugging me. I think... I think that he's been wearing the Millennium Ring again, and the Spirit of the Ring might be using him. I don't know for sure, and I could be wrong, but I'll keep in touch with you." He didn't say anything else on the matter, because right about then Ryou would be coming back. Obviously, Kaiba didn't believe Marik, but Yuugi was starting to put even more pieces of the puzzle together. He looked at his Yami in concern, but said nothing.

Ryou could not help but listen intently as he made tea from the kitchen. Technically, he could somehow read the Egyptian's mind, thanks to the trick he played on the two white-haired boys a few days before. He accidentally dropped a tea cup the moment he heard Marik talk about the Millennium Ring. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, wondering if Bakura would contact him about these plans. "A-Ah! Sorry. That was me! I'm just so clumsy these days," he said out loud in order to cover his cowering form. _'You never tell me anything, Bakura-sama,'_he said through the link, knowing that this was part of the thief's plan somehow. If not, then they would be in big trouble- causing the Egyptian to cost more than the benefits that he actually offered- which was technically, next to none. He picked up the fragments of the broken porcelain as he tried to be mindful of the said pieces. He was dazed for a few moments before he realized that his forefinger was already bleeding. He stared at his finger, looking at the blood that was already trickling down.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab his arm. The boy looked up a little and realized that Seto was already holding him, inspecting his wounds. "K-Kaiba-kun!" he said, somewhat startled by the fact that he was suddenly there. His eyes were wide open the moment the CEO grabbed him towards the sink, cleaning the blood off of the wounds. The boy winced a little before getting a cloth. He then pressed the cloth against the cut in order to stop it from bleeding too much. "Thank you. The tea's almost ready. I-I'll just bring it to the living room," he said, still unable to look him in the eye after what happened the day before. They were in a weird situation yesterday after all and it was an honest mistake on Ryou's part but he still felt awkward around the brunette. After preparing the Oolong Tea in his cupboard, he brought the tray towards the other two boys talking while they were on the couch. Ryou felt nervous, knowing that the Millennium Items were just nearby- too near the pharaoh for his liking.

Ryou grabbed one of his tea cups before looking at Marik. He then shifted his glances between the rather calm CEO and the serious pharaoh. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Yami was rather shocked upon hearing the information from Marik and yet, he still felt as if there was something missing from the story. The pharaoh inspected the Egyptian's neck a little, raising an eyebrow upon seeing the marks that were not there in the morning. That possibly meant that they were really going out and by the looks of it, Marik knew more than he was letting on. What exactly was happening to Ryou? The pharaoh grabbed one of the cups before looking at Ryou. He looked nervous- as if the visit was something that was ridiculously important to Ryou. "Bakura, Where is the Millennium Ring? Kaiba said that the Millennium Rod was stolen from his office. Maybe, we can use the Ring in order to look for the missing artifact," he said, staring down at the boy. Apologies could be made later- after the Spirit of the Ring has been taken care of.

The white-haired boy simply nodded in response, going up to his room and grabbing the Millennium Ring. _'Yami-sama, your plan better work or your debt will be tripled,'_he said, mostly to ease his nervousness. He then gave the Item to the pharaoh, watching him as he tried to get the Ring to work. Unfortunately for him, the Millennium Ring was not accepting the current user of the item so it failed to cooperate with the former pharaoh. Yami then gave the item back to Ryou, "Try using it yourself, Bakura. Maybe you can get it to work- you used to after all," he stated. He held the Millennium Ring for a split second before tilting his head once more, "What am I supposed to do, exactly?" he asked, still faking his naivety. The pharaoh only sighed exasperatedly before presenting a picture of the Millennium Rod, "Focus on getting this item." Ryou then nodded as he thought of the plan that the thief king had in mind. He focused on the fake Millennium Rod, mindful that he should not get it mixed up with the artifact sitting on a safe that was under their bed. Ryou simply assumed that the thief king brought the safe from his former abode- the safe that cannot be picked. Soon, the Ring pointed to a certain direction, causing Ryou to stand up, "I-I think it's working. It's like a compass of some sort," he stated, seemingly shocked by the power of the Millennium Ring.

Soon enough, they followed Ryou around the city, through dark alleyways. The entire time they were walking along, Marik had no idea what was happening. He had wondered first why he had been told to hint that the Spirit of the Ring was back, and then soon after why Ryou seemed so willing to lead them to the Millennium Rod. Did the world turn upside-down when he wasn't paying attention? That would be the only way any tof this made sense. But he wasn't about to question what he was told or what he was seeing, especially when he realized that they were being led away from the Millennium Rod instead of straight up the stairs, where it really was. Maybe Bakura had taken it with him after all? But he could have sworn he saw it up there...

It did not take them long before they reached a particular pond. He placed a hand inside his pocket, holding onto the Millennium Eye as he probed Kaiba's mind. He could easily see the doubt that the CEO had but more importantly, he learned that the pharaoh only thinks the Ring can locate Millennium Items and not whatever the holder wishes. The plan was going perfectly as Ryou looked at the clear body of water. Beside some of the sand and rocks, the Millennium Rod, or at least, the fake Millennium Rod, was there, staring back at Ryou. "I-Is this it?" he asked, looking bewildered with all of this magic stuff, "Y-Yuugi-kun! You're not kidding! Th-These things are actually... Woah," Ryou's lips were partially parted as he stared at the Millennium Items. _'Your plan to deceive them about the Millennium Rod is working. D-Did Ryou do well?'_ he asked the thief, wondering if he had done exactly what thief asked him to do. His instructions were vague after all and so, Ryou was really happy to see Yami getting deceived. The pharaoh grabbed the fake Item before nodding, "This is the Millennium Rod. Maybe it was just another thief that stole this from you, Kaiba," he stated, somewhat wondering as to why he had doubted Bakura in the first place. Maybe he was just getting too paranoid.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing when Ryou happened to pull what he could only assume was a fake artifact from the ground. He physically cringed, though thankfully nobody noticed as far as he could tell. Yuugi had seen him, but he didn't assume anything, just thinking that Marik was as shocked as he was. It would make sense, after all, right? But he still wasn't sure about there being another thief that would steal it. He wanted to believe Bakura, of course he did, but nothing seemed to add up. What Kaiba said next only added to his uncertainty: "Another thief? Well, who would have known about it? Mokuba and I were the only two that even knew the Millennium Rod was at Kaiba Corp, let alone where it was hidden."

The CEO crossed his arms. Something within him knew that Bakura had been the one to steal from him: he couldn't shake that feeling, and yet, he hoped it was untrue. But there were still so many questions left unanswered, one of them being just why he wanted to be sure that Ryou hadn't done this. He didn't dare trust himself with the answer, though. "I still don't believe any of this..." he mumbled to himself. Despite seeing Ryou find the Rod with nothing but the Ring around his neck, Seto Kaiba still remained skeptical about all these magic ideas. He wrote it off as luck, or perhaps Ryou knew where it was the whole time.

He took the Rod, ignoring the way Marik was staring at it.

"Thanks for getting it back," Kaiba muttered. Simply saying 'thanks' was awkward enough for him; he didn't want to stick around and hear them respond. He knew Yuugi would want to keep it with him as well as Marik, and well, if what the Egyptian had said was true, then there was no way that Yuugi would want to let Bakura keep it. "I know you'll need this eventually, Yuugi. I'll keep hold of it for now under even higher security. It will be moved far from where it was being held before." With that, he left without another word.

Marik sighed, releasing a breath of tension he didn't know he had been holding until it was gone. He gave Yuugi - the Pharaoh - a wary glance, as if unsure of what he should say. Had he figured anything out, or did he genuinely believe the Spirit of the Ring was gone? He put a hand on Ryou's shoulder and hissed at him: "That wasn't the Millennium Rod. What the hell are you two up to?"

While all this was going on, Bakura was still watching and listening through Marik's senses. It was weaker than it had been before, but then again it was probably because he didn't have the Millennium Rod with him now. He would soon, though, since he was on his way back home. When he felt it was safe for him to start talking to Ryou again (The Pharaoh seemed distracted; Yuugi was probably talking to him or something), he laughed. _Go ahead and triple my debt. What I had in mind worked - at least part of it. The other part we can discuss later, back at home. That part will help us get our hands on the Millennium Puzzle._

He reached their house. The doors were locked, so Bakura took a quick second to pick the locks. When he got inside he locked the door again just out of habit, smirking to himself._ I don't really need to tell you everything,_ he told his Hikari._ You have a habit of figuring things out on your own, and sometimes you even come up with something better. Like now. I like seeing your take on things better._Plus he was confident enough in his basic plans that he knew he would be able to fix them even if Ryou did something completely different from what the thief had in mind. What you did was brilliant, by the way.

Bakura made his way to the kitchen, dropping the bag he had brought with him on the counter. His errands were done, the main one even completed thanks to Ryou's little adventure with the Pharaoh. At least now some of the suspicion would be thrown off them about the Millennium Rod, but the priest could just be so difficult when he wanted to be. He hadn't changed at all in three thousand years, and that alone was irritating. But the fact that he was so stuck on blaming Ryou for the theft of the Millennium Rod... even though he had been the one to do it, along with Bakura himself, the thief did not like the fact that Seto Kaiba kept trying to pin it on him. But he had determination; he could give the priest-incarnate that.

_I'm home now, by the way,_ he explained to his host. Bakura made his way up the stairs to fetch the real Millennium Rod, in case they decided to come back. He would be hidden and also know everything that was happening through Marik. He laughed again through the mind link.

_And I'm quite eager to take you up on your 'Triple Debt' threat. Don't be too long in coming home.  
_

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**Preview for Chapter 19: **The Millennium Key.**  
**

After pulling the thief king in a passionate lip lock, Ryou simply pulled away, panting slightly. His Yami felt so good every time that they would kiss like that and he did not even know why. He would feel slight sparks of electricity running through his spine but before Ryou could get carried away by his emotions, he cleared his throat, "Yami-sama, how do we get the Millennium Puzzle? Hurry up and tell me so you can... Punish me some more."


	19. The Millennium Key

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

Thank you to all the lurkers and to the readers of this stories. Reviews are not the clear manifestation of how many people are reading this story. I mean, 228 unique visitors just for MAY? You guys make me and Chiba-kun sooooo happy! :) So yeah, I would like to thank the readers, the people who placed this story on their favorite list or alert list, and just the supporters in general! Seriously guys! Every e-mail I get from , be it a favorite story alert or favorite author alert, makes my heart swell up three times bigger! :)

I'm updating as often as I can lovelies and it seems that it has been a habit of mine to post every week? I hope you enjoy this nineteenth chapter because it showcases a different side of Ryou. Also, it deals with the properties of the Millennium Key.

I started to fix the other chapters too and it seems that the story is actually pulling to a close... That is, the DOMINO ARC WILL CONCLUDE IN 2 CHAPTERS! I know what you're thinking: **"But Bakura still hasn't killed the pharaoh! The story can't end yeeeeet!"** I agree! Let's just say that the end of this arc would be the start of a new beginning.

The chapters after this one will really deal with a different side of our characters. Mwahaha?

**GUESS WHICH ARC IS NEXT? PUT IT IN YOUR REVIEWS OR JUST MESSAGE ME! The people who guess it correctly will have a couple of spoilers coming their way. Nothing definitive but something to amuse your senses, perhaps?  
**

Alright then! Just sit back, relax, and please read and review. I la-la-love you guys! :3

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**Chapter 19:** The Millennium Key

His heart was still beating rapidly the moment the CEO left the place. It was too close and Ryou could clearly see that the former priest was skeptical about Ryou's innocence. Nonetheless, the priest simply shook it off as nothing and yet Ryou could hear a faint sound about Seto wishing that he was innocent. Ryou's eyes followed Seto's movements the moment he stepped in to his car, which followed them to the pond. The moment Marik placed a hand on his shoulder; Ryou simply looked up, looking as innocent as a newborn chick. "What are you talking about, Marik?" he asked, mostly because the pharaoh was listening intently to what they were saying. He did not want to risk a plan that was going so well. Ryou then walked over to the pharaoh before looking at him cautiously. He looked sad and almost frail- to the point that he was already at the brink of tears.

"I hope that finding that item stops your questions about me, Yuugi-kun. I just don't like it when you start questioning everything. It's like, I can't be trusted at all," he muttered, before turning on his heel. He could not believe as to how it easy it was to fool the pharaoh and his vessel like that. The moment the two boys reached the house again, Ryou's eyes went wide upon seeing three boxes on the counter. "C-Cream..." he whispered, looking as if he was going to die upon seeing the boxes of the dessert he loved most. He ran towards the counter, momentarily forgetting all of their problems only to find them empty. "E-Empty?" he stuttered, wondering as to why Bakura would pull something like this. He blinked once or twice, before sighing lightly. "Come here, Marik," he cooed and almost immediately, the Egyptian followed the sound of his voice. Ryou dragged Marik towards the room that he was staying at, making sure that the windows were shut tight and the door was secured. His heart was thumping in his chest, making him wonder as to why there were empty boxes of the little pieces of heaven that he loved the most. He thought about Bakura and the Ring simply pointed him to the most obvious direction- their bedroom.

Ryou looked at the door knob before turning it ever so slightly. The moment he opened the door, Bakura's lips and cheeks were covered in powdered sugar as he chomped on one of the delicious treats as if they were little marshmallows. "C-Cream puffs are supposed to be relished," he said, pausing at every bite that the thief would commit. He then gulped, seeing that there was only one cream puff left in his hands. "C-C-Can I have that?" he stuttered but he simply shook his head, grabbing the treat anyway. Technically, he snatched the item from the thief, making him laugh a little. Ryou bit on the treat, melting a little inside at the taste. It truly felt good and nice to eat the treat but he was still quite angry at his Yami for only leaving one for him.

Bakura couldn't help but laugh at the look of shock on Ryou's face. Did he really believe he got three boxes of cream puffs and ate them all? He liked the taste, but not _that_much. Eating three boxes of the dessert could possibly have killed him from sweetness. Bakura was about to offer the last one to his host, but it was snatched before he could. "Calm down," he teased. But he supposed that when cream puffs were involved, there was no stopping Ryou. Well, he could just be pleasantly surprised later when he opened the fridge to find the treats Bakura had taken out of the boxes.

He then stayed beside the Yami, looking at him before licking the sides of his lips as well as his cheeks, "You torture me so, Yami-sama," he whispered, mimicking the exact same thing that the thief was doing a while ago. A hand went up the other's shirt, raking at his back a little but not too hard. He groaned slightly when he felt nails dig into his skin and Ryou's lips press insistently against his own. Bakura opened his mouth readily, allowing the other's tongue in and pushing against it with his own, taking time to enjoy this kiss and savor it, just as Ryou had said he should have done with the cream puff. The thief didn't care about that; he thought he liked cream puffs better when he was licking the leftover cream and icing sugar off of his host's lips anyway. Yes, this was definitely the better sensation.

After pulling the thief king in a passionate lip lock, Ryou pulled away, panting slightly. His Yami felt so good every time they kiss and he did not even know why. He would feel slight sparks of electricity running through his spine but before Ryou could get carried away by his emotions, he cleared his throat, "Yami-sama, how do we get the Millennium Puzzle? Hurry up and tell me so you can... Punish me some more," he whispered the last part in his ear, making sure that his lips would momentarily brush up against the side of his ear before giving it a slight lick. Who knew that he could be this frisky?

When they parted, the thief laughed quietly. So, Ryou wanted more of his 'punishment', did he? That would be a problem at all when the time came. In a way, it was like the two got a little bit too intimate a little bit too often. But neither of them was arguing about that, and Ryou seemed to like it just as much as Bakura did... so really, there was no problem at all. The thief shivered pleasantly, and then pulled Ryou closer to him as if his plans were a big secret that shouldn't be overheard.

"We're going to use Marik, of course," he explained. After waiting a bit, the thief elaborated: "And the Pharaoh's trust. I had Marik hint that I'm back earlier because it would just make getting the Millennium Puzzle so much easier. If he thinks that I still possess your body, we can have Marik lead him somewhere and tell the Pharaoh that we're trying to steal another Millennium Item. What do you think his reaction would be?" He didn't even need to say what came next, really. Yuugi and the Pharaoh were both too trusting and too gullible to even be remotely suspicious if they heard a story involving the Spirit of the Ring stealing a Millennium Item. They would rush to wherever Marik said and be easy prey for the thief and his Hikari.

"There are still details to work out, of course... but I was hoping that there would be something you wanted to add." He couldn't be cruel enough to leave all the fun to himself and keep nothing for Ryou to entertain himself with. He laughed and pulled the boy in for another deep kiss. _Imagine the look on the Pharaoh's face when his trusted friend took the Millennium Puzzle from him! He'll soon know what it's like to be separated from his precious little Yuugi... It would be such a betrayal of his trust! _Just the thought of it excited Bakura immensely. He shifted a little bit so that Ryou was on top of him, straddling his hips, making sure to never once break the contact between their mouths. All of this was just too enjoyable for him... he could just hope that his Hikari was as delighted right now as he was, even with the supposed loss of his cream puffs.

The Hikari held the Millennium Eye at hand as he stared at the thief king. He used it to probe the other's mind a little deeper than usual and the thief simply let him do what he wanted. The moment he realized that the thief king actually placed the cream puffs in the refrigerator, he could not help but glare at the thief- playfully of course. "Cruel," he whispered through the kiss. Bakura pouted mockingly when he realized that Ryou had used the Millennium Eye on him. "Not as cruel as that was," he retorted, pointing at the Millennium Eye. But really, he didn't care about that right now. It was only for cream puffs... but if Ryou really didn't trust him enough that he needed to use the Eye when he was planning something important, that would irritate him. But for now it was okay. He laughed again and stroked Ryou's hair. He knew they had to get their planning done before they started doing other things, but... "Forgive me; I couldn't help myself."

"Let's finish our planning first. Our fun comes in later," he stated before nodding. "Marik doesn't exactly cooperate that fast. It might cause a problem for us," he stated before sighing lightly. He was thinking deeply, looking for a way to convince Yuugi to go to the place where the game would start. Once the Millennium Puzzle is retrieved from Yuugi, the pharaoh's soul would be gone forever for unlike the thief king's soul, Yami did not exactly invade Yuugi's body. Ryou thought that they may also have a clue that you have your own body now- possibly because they kept covering lie after lie but he knew that Yami was not that quick to put things together. The boy rolled over to the side before wincing, feeling a sudden jolt of pain within him. He could not describe the pain easily for all he knew was that the pain was too much for him to bear.

Playfulness aside for now, the thief decided to cooperate. His pent-up energy could wait. "Marik will cooperate if we make the right moves. We could further manipulate him, if you like, or we could just get his sister to come along too and threaten to kill herself. We can give her the knife ourselves." But that game was getting old fast, he had to admit. It would be more fun to go for the first option and try to manipulate Marik differently. But how could they do that? What Ryou mentioned did have a point to it... the Millennium Rod would be able to taint the Egyptian's memories- if they could just bring out the right ones.

"...He used to want to kill the Pharaoh too," Bakura mumbled. He then looked from the Millennium Ring in his hands up to his Hikari. "Before... he told me about why he needed the Millennium Rod and what he thought the Pharaoh had done to him. If we could manipulate his memories so that he still hated the Pharaoh, then..." he trailed off. That idea sounded almost too perfect. Bakura wasn't even sure how to pull it off, considering he had only had the Millennium Rod for the equivalent of a few days and had only made basic uses of its powers. But they could always figure things out for themselves. It wouldn't be hard.

He could feel the Millennium Ring heat up a little, causing Ryou to take it off immediately. He then gave the item to Bakura, feeling the pain slowly subside. Ryou furrowed his eyebrows in thought, wondering as to why it hurt that much using the Millennium Ring for the past few days. Starting from the day he met Marik, he had been feeling that the usage of the Millennium Item was slowly taking its toll on him. "I don't understand," he whispered, wondering if it was the Ring's way of rejecting him as the owner. Whether it was because the Millennium Ring currently had two owners or it was because Ryou was too weak to use the item without Bakura's help, Ryou was not entirely sure. He placed the Ring on the thief's chest, sitting up as he looked at the item. "We have to make the pharaoh watch when we dispose of the pharaoh... I want him to feel the pain I felt too."

Bakura looked back down at the Millennium Ring. He hadn't been able to tell before that the Item was having an effect on his Hikari, let alone a painful one. This worried him somewhat. It had to be responding to something within the boy, but what it was Bakura couldn't tell. Was Ryou changing, or was he just using up too much energy? Bakura had very vague recollections of his life as a thief, when he had been using the Millennium Ring. Every now and then it would hurt him, as if to warn him of something. But it had never been that bad... had it? "Has it been hurting you a lot lately, or is this the first time?" He asked, truly concerned about what he had just seen. Bakura wasn't sure he wanted to keep the Millennium Ring with him right now, because normally Ryou was so reluctant to give it up, but he wasn't about to give it back to Ryou only to have it hurt him again. The thief draped the cord around his own neck and let it settle against him. It filled him with a strange sense of power that he hadn't felt since the last time he wore it. It felt... natural. He felt like he could do just about anything now, a weird feeling because he hadn't been aware of feeling somewhat weaker before he put the Ring on. It was like white noise being cut off after you had grown used to it.

Ryou held the thief's hand, staring at him for a good few seconds before smiling lightly. "Our world is already in our grasp. We just have to make Marik follow us without any questions. I think that one of the Millennium Items can help us erase parts of his memory- or at least use the Rod to make an illusion about the pharaoh. Something... Anything that would assure our victory."

He closed his eyes and squeezed Ryou's hand, smiling almost calmly. "Yes... we're so close. But there's still so much to do, Yadonushi. I know how you want to make him suffer like we did... I want that, too. To show him what it was like to be torn away from his other half... It won't be too difficult once we find a way to make him consciously witness what we're going to do." He averted his eyes for a moment and looked at the Millennium Ring. Maybe if they used that to transfer his soul somewhere else? Outside of the Puzzle, away from Yuugi, while they took the vessel's life right before the Pharaoh's eyes... it would be the sweetest kind of revenge possible short of actually killing the Pharaoh. Taking the one thing most important to him and forcing him to watch as it was ripped away. If only they could figure out the perfect way to do it.

"We can either manipulate him or take full control of him. Personally, manipulating him would be much more fun," he whispered, closing his eyes a little. He felt weak- to the point that it seemed as if the Millennium Ring was taking too much energy from him. Back then, he did not mind having the Millennium Ring around- mostly because the Millennium Ring was not drawing energy from him. The feeling of having the artifact taken from him was sheer terror on his part but the physical pain of the item was something he could barely handle. He wondered if it was because he was not worthy to use the item in the first place. He sighed lightly, closing his eyes as he tried his best to relax. Suddenly, an idea hit him, causing him to jolt up. He looked as if he had just woken up from a nightmare, eyes wide open. "The Millennium Key."

"I'll be right back," he muttered, before grabbing the Millennium Key. He didn't bother telling his Yami what he was going to do for he only needed to see the outcome of what he was about to do. He entered Marik's room, causing the Egyptian boy to look up at him. Ryou simply smiled a little before pressing the tip of the Millennium Key against his forehead. Soon enough, Ryou appeared in Marik's room of the soul, looking around as he finally understood Marik's personality. He could see the reasons as to why he was utterly devoted to the pharaoh and why he trusted him so. He smirked a little, slowly rearranging his memories as he forced images in his head. Ryou made him forget about his other self and he was the one who killed his father. At the same time, he rearranged everything just so he would be utterly devoted to Bakura, instead of the pharaoh. He looked around, realizing that he took out his desire for his own self-fulfillment and simply made sure that he was loyal to Bakura at any costs. Ryou looked around; trying to make sure that everything is in order when he heard Marik's thoughts more clearly.

Specifically, Marik's thoughts about him were echoing inside the Egyptian's head. The white-haired boy could only widen his eyes in shock the moment he took the Millennium Key away from the Egyptian boy. He stared at Marik a little, watching him stir into consciousness when he noticed the thief king entering his room. "The Millennium Key can rearrange the Soul Room," he whispered, knowing about some of the abilities when he remembered something about Shadi entering the pharaoh's soul room once. He held the item tight before giving it to Bakura, "The effect of the brainwash is not permanent, Yami-sama. It only goes away the moment he touches the Key again," he whispered before watching Marik stand up, making his way towards them. Silence veiled the three boys when Ryou heard the Egyptian boy suddenly swear his utmost loyalty to the Great Thief King, Bakura. Ryou looked at him before nodding, "This way, we can kill the pharaoh easily. Good help is so hard to find these days."

Ryou's behavior was certainly... odd tonight. One minute he was being all kind and cuddling up to the thief king, the next he was like a demon. Bakura couldn't say he wasn't intrigued, because he had to face the facts that this was all because of him. Had he driven Ryou too hard? Hard enough to cause his sanity to slip, even just the smallest amount? Even if that was the case, Bakura was still crazy over his Yadonushi. He just smirked and allowed Ryou to do whatever he wanted in regards to Marik and the Pharaoh. But his curiosity got the better of him after a few minutes and he followed after the boy to see what he had been up to.

What he did see surprised him. He hadn't even thought about using the Millennium Key - he hardly knew what it did, never having had it himself or even used it. All he knew was that it could enter someone's mind, but it seemed Ryou knew how to make full use of the Item. He was impressed. But if the effects wouldn't last... well, they would just have to be careful to keep the Key away from Marik for a while. But then again, that could be fun too, couldn't it?

Ryou wrapped his arms around Marik, watching the Egyptian blush a little. Ryou's eyes were stern and unfazed- unlike when he would hug Bakura. "The pharaoh was the one who killed your father. He was the one who murdered your sister," he whispered into the Egyptian's ear, causing the images of the fake memories to flash before his eyes. Ryou made sure that those memories were flawless, right down to the last detail. He made sure that Marik would not remember his pseudo-brother and that he would think that Ishizu is already dead. The boy could not help but smirk, watching Marik slowly getting angrier by the second. "Your mission is done," he whispered upon saying those words, he could see the connection between him and Ishizu get cut off. Ryou knew that they no longer needed her so she should be properly disposed of- and so he did. The boy looked at the thief king before smiling maniacally, "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

"Would it be safe to assume we can change him back after we get the Millennium Puzzle?" He asked. "It would be so fun to watch him come to terms with the fact that he willingly betrayed his beloved Pharaoh... and friend." After that, there would be no point keeping him around at all. They could safely and happily dispose of Marik when he had worn out his usefulness. Bakura wanted to pull Ryou back when he held on to Marik, but the thief didn't make a single move. He just narrowed his eyes and watched, not at all liking the way the Egyptian blushed. Had Ryou influenced that, too? But he supposed it wouldn't really matter in the end since he didn't plan on keeping Marik around for long anyway. And he was distracted quickly anyway by the fact that he felt a connection shut off in his mind. Quickly Bakura realized that it was actually the connection he had made with Ishizu, and it made him wonder just what Ryou had made her do. Obviously she was going to die, but he didn't know how yet. _Just what did you do to her? _He asked coyly, genuinely interested in finding out.

The thief laughed. Rubbing off on him? "Clearly." He stepped closer to his Yadonushi, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissing the side of his neck. "I think you might even be outdoing me. That definitely deserves some sort of punishment, wouldn't you say?" He waited a beat and slid his tongue back up Ryou's neck to his earlobe, where he bit down softly to nibble at his Hikari. A small, gentle breath was released against the skin before Bakura whispered, "Or maybe some sort of reward? What do you think?"

Ryou could not help but let out soft moans and whimpers every time his darker counterpart did something. Of course, Ryou loved dominating his thief king but it was also nice seeing him like this- back to his usual teasing self. He opened his eyes a little before looking at Bakura, smiling lightly. "I take it that you liked what I did," he whispered, kissing the other's cheek. Their relationship was crazy- and yet, Ryou did not want to have it any other way. He purred slightly the moment he felt the thief's tongue snake its way towards his ear lobe before feeling his breath against his ear. "I can never outdo you, Bakura-sama. I just had the Millennium Eye while Shadi was there. He never noticed that I checked up on the abilities of the Key- and a few other Millennium Items."

He glanced back at Marik out of the corner of his eye. Still smirking, he pulled away from Ryou and told the Egyptian to sit down. Bakura quickly explained the basis of his plan to the Egyptian, who seemed to understand what he had to do. "We're still working out a few of the finer details..." Bakura muttered, waving his hand casually, as if this was hardly an important matter. "But when we know how we want things to go, then we'll tell you, too. Won't it be great? All three of us can have our revenge at once." He laughed darkly; this whole thing was deliciously ironic. Ryou wanted revenge for something he had basically asked for; while Marik was fighting for something he had long since given up on. He was fighting based on lies he had been made to believe.

Said Egyptian nodded. "Of course. I'll do whatever it takes to see him dead." He closed his eyes, images of what had happened to his family at the pharaoh's hand flooding his mind. With each thought his resentment grew, solidifying his resolve to stay and help both the thief and his host. He hardly noticed at all when Bakura slid his hand up and down Ryou's side teasingly, leering at the boy with obvious infatuation, but also intrigue and, somewhere behind the other emotions showing in his eyes, respect.

"What shall we do, Ryou?" Bakura asked quietly. "There are still so many things we need to finish... and it would be best to complete our planning now, right?" He nipped at Ryou's neck again, as if trying to tease him in a strange way. He was trying to find out what the boy wanted to do, or if he had had enough of just planning for now. But then again, if they were finished here, there was also the issue of what to do with Marik. Bakura laughed again and asked through the mind link (careful not to send the same message to the Egyptian), _Maybe we should have him come with us? It wouldn't be fair to leave out such a loyal 'friend'..._ But of course, he didn't mean it that way. He just wanted to see Ryou's reaction.

He held the Millennium Eye before grabbing Bakura's hand, gesturing him to see the work of art that he did. Deep inside Marik's mind were memories that were mostly fabricated to pull the Egyptian to their side. He could also see the fierce loyalty in Marik's head- as if he was ready to die for the thief king. Ryou could not help but smile, looking up at Bakura when something caught both of their attention. Apparently, there was a budding thought about Ryou there as well- a thought that the white-haired boy noticed even at the Egyptian's soul room. Some of those thoughts were simply romantic- how the Egyptian has apparently taken a liking for the boy for a good few days now. Some of those thoughts; however, were simply odd. It was as if Marik was actually telling him that he loved him- borderline on obsession but it can still be considered as love. One frail thought was actually them in bed together, causing Ryou to pull his hand away from Bakura's. He left the Millennium Eye at his capable hands, clutching onto the thief like there was no tomorrow. _'When you said that you wanted him to come... Did you have that in mind?'_

He hit his arm playfully before closing his eyes. _'He... likes me. We can take it out of him if you think that it would hinder our plans. I can arrange that, Yami-sama,'_ he said through their link. Ryou turned a little to look at the Egyptian boy, noticing that he was actually staring at Ryou still. Marik then stared at Bakura and then back to Ryou, as if trying to contemplate the relationship between the two white-haired boys. "Mariku, you should rest. We'll tell you more about the plan when we have already finished preparing it. Make sure that you do not tell the pharaoh about this for we need to fake our friendship with him. That way, we can slowly tear him from inside the moment we snatch everything from that damned pharaoh."

Ryou pulled on the thief a little before going back to their room. He walked towards the bed, resting his back on it as he stared at the ceiling. Urging Bakura to give the Millennium Eye to him, he checked the boy's thoughts, only to realize that they were still about him. "It's quite disturbing actually," he whispered before sitting up, looking at his thief king. A while ago, while he was talking to Marik, he could not help but notice that Bakura's eyes were narrow- as if he was looking at Marik with disdain.

It was slowly starting to become overwhelming to the thief king. Everything Ryou was doing, not just physically to Bakura, but the way he was so readily manipulating Marik and so forcefully trying to take what he wanted... Ryou was becoming completely irresistible. As if to accent this, the thief moaned quietly, mimicking his host's response to the touches. But even hearing Marik's thoughts was pleasing to him; he wasn't quite so fond about the whole love thing Marik had going for Ryou, but he wasn't going to complain too much. It might just make things easier for them... or worse. But it probably wouldn't do much to hinder their plans at all. But what he saw about Marik wanting to go to bed with Ryou that pissed him off. Bakura narrowed his eyes even more. _No. That wasn't what I had in mind at all. To be honest, I was joking about that. _He didn't want to share his Hikari at all, and Ryou should have known that. But maybe he just wanted his Yami to say it out loud. He wouldn't have a problem with that, not really. For now, that wasn't the issue, though.

He allowed himself to be dragged into the other room with Ryou, not giving Marik a second glance as they left. Maybe he should have, since the Egyptian was so ready to serve them, but Bakura was really just so irritated by his presence right now that he couldn't be bothered. Immediately the Thief King gave the Millennium Eye back to Ryou, joining him on the bed. He shrugged slightly. "If it's making you uncomfortable, just go ahead and alter that part of him." Overall, Bakura really didn't seem concerned, but soon he was smirking again and stroking Ryou's hair, just hard enough to hint that he wasn't just doing it to be kind. Far from it, actually. "I don't think that his liking you so much will hurt our plans... but for me, personally, I don't want to share you."

"Are you alright, Kura?" he asked, tilting his head to the side before wrapping his arms around the tomb robber. "I think you just miss me," he whispered before pulling the thief in a soft kiss, which immediately turned into a battle of dominance. Soon enough, they were back where they started- Ryou straddling Bakura's waist, pinning him down the bed. "Looks like I win," he said, almost triumphantly before grinning. "I asked Ishizu to do whatever it takes to kill herself. We can go tonight to check, if you want," he whispered, licking Bakura's cheek like a cat.

Call it jealousy, possessiveness, whatever else came to mind, but the fact was that Bakura did not want to let anyone else get even remotely close to Ryou. It was necessary right now to allow others to get at least a little bit closer, but when the time came, they would ultimately be the first ones to die. Preferably slowly and painfully, but it all depended on just what sort of mood Bakura was in. He almost laughed at the question at how well he was. "I'm fine," he answered, though there was a bit of a strain in his voice. "But I'll be even better when I know nobody else will be able to touch you or take you away from me."

It was with those words that the thief allowed himself to succumb to his other half - for now, anyway. When they pulled away, he brought one arm underneath Ryou's shirt to claw at his back. He'd won? "Is that so?" Bakura asked, raking his nails down the other's skin and burying his free hand in the other's hair. He ran his fingers through the silver locks, tugging and pulling every now and then as he kissed his Yadonushi. He would even go so far as to bite Ryou's lips every now and then, once even drawing a small amount of blood. Bakura used his tongue to lick up the stray drops of red liquid, licking his own stained lips at the taste. It was just too much. "Mmm... S-so good..." he whispered between breaths. Much better than the cream puff he'd eaten earlier. Bakura kissed Ryou once more, not even bothering to start out slowly but making it deep and passionate right from the start. He was still pinned underneath his Hikari, but that didn't matter. He wouldn't give up this fight quite so easily.

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**Preview for Chapter 20:** Alone.

He parted from the thief king after a few moments, taking a deep breath before finally explaining what had happened. "Images of... Dark lord... Shadi said too pure... Can't," he stuttered, biting his lower lip after the very confusing string of words. He hoped that Bakura would at least get a gist of what he was trying to say. "C-Can't... Can't be with Kura," he tried his best not to resume crying upon saying the line. He just could not admit to himself that his only security blanket was slowly disappearing from his hold- and he was helping him do it. "Kill me."


	20. Alone

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Is YGO ours? No, it is not. Is the plot ours? Yes, it is. Thank you guys to the people who still love reading our story. Love me Tender is more of a fluff and drama piece all rolled up into one.

Thank you to all the lurkers and to the readers of this stories. Reviews are not the clear manifestation of how many people are reading this story. Guys, seeing the 130 new visitors from last week, gosh! It really makes me and my partner happy! :) If you have time, please feel free to drop a review for this chapter!

This chapter has a little lover's spat between Bakura and Ryou. A little bit of Angstshipping again, but do not worry. After the next chapter, you would not see any of him for a while. NEW CHARACTERS will be introduced in the next chapter and I think it's safe to say that there are more lemony goodness in the next arc. Also, some answers will be answered in the next chapter... And yes, somebody from the original cast will die. -legasp-!

Stay tuned for the next chapter though. I hope you enjoy the little preview I prepared. That pharaoh is not as nice as he seems. ;3

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**Chapter 20:** Alone

Ryou groaned when he woke up. He was feeling sore from their latest encounter. He scratched his eyes before noticing the time. Bakura was rougher compared to their previous encounters but it was due to Ryou's commands. The boy did notice; however, that Bakura truly felt rather possessive upon hearing Marik's thoughts. The white-haired boy was actually confused, mostly because he was getting lost in everything. He was slowly losing himself and it looked as if Bakura was more than willing to encourage such transformation. He sighed, wondering if he changed too much- too drastically. He held the Millennium Eye, partially looking at his thief king. He did not doubt Bakura's emotions but he simply wanted to further understand him. He was about to use the item but he dropped it beside him. "This is all wrong," he whispered. The mere fact that he could not trust Bakura was frightening him already. What exactly has he become?

He touched his slightly bruised lip, looking at Bakura's sleeping figure. It was odd, having blood trickle down his chin, making him remember what happened with Marik. He shook his head, trying to convince himself that he has not changed completely. Has he? Ryou wondered if this change was as bad as he makes it out to be. He will live in a world of darkness with his thief king so being this manipulative would be to their advantage, right? If so, why is he feeling like it's this odd to act this way? Was it just a ruse to gain Bakura's acceptance?

The boy stayed on the floor, crawling towards the safe. He opened the door, placing the Millennium Eye inside. He noticed that the scales, key, eye, and necklace were securely hidden there. His eyes showed much confusion, as if he was completely scared with what he was about to do. The boy stared at Eye of Horus before grabbing the Millennium Scales. He knew how to stop the Millennium Item from pulling him towards the Shadow Realm but he just needed to know something- or at least, to lessen his worries. He pressed the said item against his heart, watching the sides fight each other for supremacy. The area of the feather dropped down before the other side did and the process continued on for the next few minutes. Soon enough, the balance was tipped towards the feather, widening his eyes in shock. "Why?"

Why was he still considered innocent by the item?

"I have killed an innocent person. I have manipulated my friends time and time again. I have caused great misery on a person I barely know... How am I considered as innocent?" he asked, half expecting to have the Item talk to him as well. He sighed almost reluctantly before placing the item back inside the storage area. After securing the safe, he gave the thief king one last look before going to the living room. He prepared a cup of tea, relaxing on the couch and almost instantly, thoughts about how to end the pharaoh's life was swirling inside his head.

Maybe he should have forced the thief to move on? Maybe, he could have been more forceful with what he wanted. He shook his head, trying to put reason over his emotions. What they were currently doing was a win-win situation, was it not? He would be able to stay with his thief king and at the same time, the thief king would get the vengeance that he wanted all along. His body jolted when he felt a hand on his shoulder, half-expecting to have the thief king standing there to comfort him. However, when the boy looked up, he only saw deep lavender eyes, looking back at him with concern. "What's the matter? Couldn't sleep? W-Were we being too loud?" he asked, looking away from the boy but giving him enough room to sit beside him on the couch.

For a moment, Marik was silent, as if waiting for Ryou to say something first. He almost laughed. "Oh... no, you didn't keep me awake. I was just thinking about things." He was quiet again for a moment, and then tentatively reached out to put a hand on Ryou's shoulder. He looked into the other's eyes, frowning. "Is something on your mind?" He asked. The boy certainly didn't seem very happy about something, but if he chose not to explain what was wrong, then the Egyptian couldn't exactly do much about it.

He took his hand away, not sure if he was being too pushy or not. "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this... I don't want to upset you or Bakura. But... I don't know. I feel like..." He trailed off, seeming to think that what he was about to say could be dangerous. For all he knew, it could have been. He did have feelings for Ryou, but why he couldn't explain. And he knew that the boy was more interested in the King of Thieves, and said thief would likely never allow the boy to be touched by anyone else anyway. "Have you come up with anything else?" He asked, referring to the plan that Bakura and Ryou had come up with. There was another pause before he continued on, saying,

"I was thinking about what you two said to me... and I think what we're doing is right. Killing the Pharaoh, I mean. I don't have any doubts." He didn't know what else to say, really, but he had assumed that maybe that was what was bothering Ryou. And though Marik didn't know it, the only reason he didn't have any doubts about what they were doing was because Ryou had erased all the doubt from him earlier. It was a strange situation they were in.

"I don't think-" he stopped in mid-sentence the moment he heard Marik tell him that what they were doing was right. If only he could erase his own doubts, then maybe he would stop feeling this guilt. If only he could simply forget his conscience- his morality and all those warning signals going off in his head, then maybe, he would stop feeling this bad. Ryou felt as if he was forced into thinking that this was what he wanted but at the same time, it's not as if he did not want this in the first place. In truth, he wanted to make Bakura happy, right? Apparently, this was the only way to make the thief king happy and even if Ryou was there or not, Bakura would still be happy as long as the pharaoh's dead. Ryou's eyes widened slightly upon coming up with that conclusion. That was the reason as to why the boy had been this hesitant. Although he was helping Bakura on his plans and even if he was being praised for what he did, he still felt as if it was more of Bakura's revenge rather than his. The drive to kill the pharaoh was not there to begin with.

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When Bakura woke up, he found he was alone. Having shot straight up out of bed upon waking, somehow the thief wasn't surprised at finding nobody in the bed next to him. He had been dreaming again, though this time it was nothing very pleasant. In the end, he just ended up feeling more tired than before, but now he was restless enough that he wouldn't be able to sleep again for a while. But instead of moving around or trying to do something that might be useful, he just remained sitting so that he could think some things over. He was so close... they were so close to achieving their goal. But something still wasn't right, somehow. Bakura had a bad feeling, but he couldn't put his finger on just what was wrong.

Not too soon after Marik finished speaking, Bakura had finally come down the stairs. He gave Marik and Ryou a quick glance, noticing the blush on the Egyptian's face, but saying nothing. He sighed and went into another room, deciding to leave them alone right now. He was too immersed in his own thoughts to even try and console Ryou, and besides, it looked like Marik was doing a decent job. But why did it seem like every time they got intimate, they would have a sort of pause where even speaking with each other seemed awkward? The thief couldn't explain it, but he hated it.

Soon, Ryou felt tan arms wrap around his frail form, pulling him closer. He closed his eyes, simply listening to the beat of Marik's heart. Ryou could not help it but it was as if he was slowly melting into the tomb keeper's embrace- as if all his worries were being pushed aside by such gesture.

_When you're finished with Marik, I want to have a word,_ the Thief King said. He didn't want to rush Ryou. Plus he still had some of his own things to sort out. For now, he was just getting himself a drink in the kitchen, and not even bothering to try and listen in on the conversation going on in the other room. He doubted it would be anything harmful to their plans, since Marik was already wrapped up in them enough that he couldn't get out even if he wanted to. Bakura touched the side of his face where he had once been marked with a scar. It had been so long ago... but it was almost like he could still feel the pain of it now. He was angry, and the emotion was gradually getting worse, but at least now an end was in sight. They would have their revenge soon. Him, Ryou, and all the wandering Spirits from Kul Elna.

A look of horror ran across his face upon realizing what he wanted to do- what he was about to do. The white-haired boy pulled away from Marik before nodding. "It's nothing for you to worry about. I was just thinking about the test we have tomorrow. You better go and get some sleep, Marik. I'll see you in the morning," he whispered before watching the Egyptian boy leave the said room.

Ryou fidgeted and for a moment, he could feel as if he had done a heavy crime. It was as if his crime was so heavy that no amount of punishment was going to ease the pain in his heart. "I just felt like having some tea. I did not know that Marik would go down," he whispered, half-heartedly, looking at his cup. His thoughts lingered on the way Marik wrapped his arms around him- as if he truly cared for him. It was true, Bakura would usually do the same gesture but with Bakura's embrace, he felt safe and secured and not exactly loved. He shook his head a little, trying to convince himself that the thief king truly loved him. As he said, he would not offer the chance of immortality to anyone, right?

If so, why was he still feeling nervous about all of this? Why is it that he has lost absolutely all of his confidence when it comes to this relationship? Why was it that he doubted every step he took with Bakura? Was it truly because he did not want this at all? Was it because he simply wanted Bakura to be with him for he was the only person at the time?

Ryou sighed lightly before taking a sip from his tea. "I still don't have a stable plan in mind as well, Yami-sama. I'm still thinking on how we can extract the pharaoh's soul and such. I'm still working out the details," he whispered, placing the empty cup on the table. Ryou stood up, wrapping his arms around the tomb robber's waist and then proceeded to pulling him closer. He squeezed him a little before parting from the thief king. "You woke up fast... Did you have another nightmare?" he asked, looking at him with those big eyes of his. However, Ryou's eyes were not the usual vibrant shade that they were in. His eyes were dull- like unpolished orbs that held much sadness and despair in them. The skin around his eyes were a little bit puffy, indicating that he had been crying for a good few minutes already- tears he did not notice in the first place. "We should go back to sleep. I have school tomorrow and I don't want to be late. I still... need to gather information from the pharaoh," he whispered, not noticing the fact that he emphasized needing to do the said task instead of wanting to do it.

Bakura listened to Ryou babble on, not responding to anything he said until he was finished speaking about the Pharaoh. He sighed and closed his eyes, but returned the embrace when it came. Something about it just felt so strangely hollow. Like something had simply shattered before they could even realize what had happened. It made Bakura want to just shove Ryou away from him so he could leave. Just for a while, so he could be away from people. Everyone and everything.

He looked away. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about," he breathed. The Thief King took a step back, then decided against it and put a hand to Ryou's face, then lightly trailed it down the boy's neck and collarbone, to his chest where the Millennium Ring would normally hang. "Does it still... hurt?" He asked almost shyly. He really did not know what to make of what was happening right now. There were just so many things going on, and now there was this tension between them to add to everything. And why had the Ring acted up like that, anyway? Had Ryou done something or thought something that would make it reject him? Or perhaps it was just having too much of an effect on him, corrupting him too much. Who could really know how much it had affected Bakura when he had been its sole owner? Even the great King of Thieves himself couldn't tell just how much damage the Ring had done to his already damaged soul.

But if they thought about it, it made sense. He could practically feel the doubt and uncertainty coming from Ryou, even without using the mind link. Maybe after he had taken it off, he had started to go back to the way he was? Bakura wasn't sure if he disapproved. He couldn't put his finger on why, but it had been his host that he had fallen for in the first place, not the dark, manipulative person he had gradually become. Sure, he did like the change somewhat, and he loved the crazy things Ryou did, but that wasn't who he had fallen for. If it truly had been, then maybe the thief was more narcissistic than he thought.

Bakura made a small move to kiss Ryou's cheek. _Why are you crying?_He wondered, but didn't say it out loud. He was half expecting not to hear an answer at all, so the issue wasn't pressed. When he pulled away, he turned around so that Ryou couldn't see him scowling. Apparently the boy felt their little talk was ready to come to an end. "Hmph, Fine. Get some sleep. I'll join you later." Maybe. He really didn't feel much like sleeping right now, and he had already slept way too much in the past few days anyway. His body wasn't used to getting so much rest, considering he usually stayed up during the nights. There were just some things that couldn't be done in the daylight, after all.

Before Ryou made a move to leave, though, his Yami made his way to the door in the kitchen that would lead outside. He twisted the knob, then thought better of it. "Here," he said, lifting the cord of the Millennium Ring over his neck and putting it on the counter. "You'd better hold on to this. Never know what might happen..." Although Bakura couldn't tell if he was worried something might happen to Ryou when he didn't have the Ring, or if he just didn't want to be caught in case he ran into Yuugi or one of their friends. Either way, he didn't want to wear it right now. It hadn't even been responding to him while he had been wearing it.

"I'll be back later." Bakura gave his Hikari a curt nod, then left the house. He really just needed some time on his own.

Ryou simply nodded as he watched his thief king leave the house. He looked at the Millennium Ring, staying quiet throughout the poor excuse for a conversation that they were having. He held the cord for a second before putting the item on. He walked up the stairs, staying on the bed as he closed his eyes. The boy began twisting and turning after a few moments, images of his nightmares crawling back to haunt him. Not only that, visions of a creature coming out from the darkness were also haunting him, causing the boy to wake up abruptly. He looked at the empty space beside him, only feeling this kind of solitude the moment he decided to get rid of his darker counterpart once and for all. He held his head, a wave of pain shooting through his heart and his head. "Damn," he muttered, clutching on to the sheets as he felt the Item almost tingle on him. It was odd, the way it was reacting to him. He held the Item for a short while before he could feel that the item was slowly giving back something to him. Soon enough, the Ring simply sat on the bed while the boy sat in the corner of the room, looking at the Item with fright.

He shook his head lightly, holding himself. Every time he would close his eyes, the image of the creature would once again appear, causing the boy to stay up all night. He gripped onto the sheets, trying to understand what was happening to him. The creature was frightening, like a being taken directly from hell. Bloodshot eyes would stare back at him with much contempt when he would look back. Suddenly, a familiar Egyptian appeared before him, looking down at him. "This would be the last time I would speak to you, Ryou Bakura, before I depart this world. I want to help you in understanding the visions that you are seeing. The creature's name is Zorc Necrophades and its soul is sealed in the Millennium Ring, along with the soul of the tomb robber. The act that you just felt was the rejection of the Millennium Item to your soul for you are too pure for the item and thus, your soul cannot reside inside an Item created for destruction," Shadii explained.

Ryou looked at the floor, before hugging his knees. He could barely understand what was going on with the Item now that it was rejecting him. Why was it rejecting him in the first place? "The Item itself is not rejecting you. It is the being inside the Ring that is rejecting you. Believe it or not, the dark lord is not pleased that you are taking its valuable pawn away from him. The gods are pleased with your decisions Ryou, for your decisions are justified. You are doing this for the sake of someone you love and thus, your intentions are pure. However, as long as you're trying to take the Tomb Robber away from the dark lord, you would be consumed with great grief. Try to make the best decisions and always remember that the gods are in your favor," the Egyptian man said before disappearing- forever, so he said. Ryou could still barely understand what was going on. Was he truly pulling Bakura to the light side? Was the thief king truly captivated by him? Did he truly love the boy that much? Ryou leaned against the wall as he kept himself from sleeping.

Soon enough, the sun greeted him with its warm rays, causing the boy to squint. At the time, the tomb robber also entered the room, bills in his pockets along with some valuable commodities.

When Bakura got home, it was only a short trip to get back to Ryou. He didn't even bother removing any of the things he had stolen from his person, deciding to just take it with him for now. But what he found surprised him; he hadn't expected to be thrown to the floor so suddenly. He let out a surprised yelp and instinctively grabbed on to Ryou. "What's wrong with you? Why are you..." But he stopped, realizing that the boy was trembling. He was crying again?

"D-Don't leave me again. M-Make it go away... M-Make the images... Go away, Kura. I-I-I... I... I can't..." he stuttered, gripping onto him as much as he could. He was slowly losing his sanity, possibly because of the fright that the thief king might leave him for the dark lord. "K-Kura... N-N-Never leave me. Y-You promised! And y-you... Y-You left," he stuttered, before clutching onto the darkness with as much as he could. He looked at the thief king and there it was again. The look on Ryou's eyes said everything; his shining hazel orbs reflecting concern, fright, longing, and mostly, love for the thief king beneath him.

"H-Hey... why are you crying?" He asked. Bakura lifted Ryou's face gently with one hand so that he could see just what was wrong. At the pure emotion he saw, the thief pulled Ryou close to him, squeezing him tightly and just hoping he was comforting the boy. What had happened while he had been out? Did he have a nightmare or something, or had Marik done something to him? That last question made Bakura's anger spike, but he decided to deal with that later, after he had found out what was actually wrong with his Hikari. For the time being, he simply settled for stroking the boy's hair and keeping him close.

"Shh, shh," he soothed. The thief closed his eyes and took in slow, steady breaths, trying to calm himself down as well. On the inside, he was panicking because he hadn't known what had happened to cause the boy to react so violently. All he knew was that he had seen some sort of images and now he was afraid that his Yami would leave him. "I didn't leave, Ryou... I just went out for a while... but I'm back now, see?" But something was telling Bakura that that wasn't what his yadonushi had been referring to. And if it had been something else... well, he had only gone away that time because Ryou had wanted him gone and had consulted the Pharaoh about it. Whatever he meant now, Bakura's answer would still be the same.

He stroked Ryou's back, burying his face in the boy's hair. "I'm not going to leave you," he whispered, then said the same thing in his mind in case the hysterical boy clinging to his chest didn't hear him. "I'm never going to leave. As long as you exist, I'll always be here. It's always been that way, Ryou, my Ryou, and it won't change."

He shifted slightly, enough so that he could stand, and picked Ryou up. He carried the boy to the bed and put him down gently, moving to sit behind him and wrap his arms around the boy's frame. For now, he said nothing, just allowed Ryou to do whatever he wanted, whether it was to speak or continue shaking. Bakura kept stroking his hair, his back, his arm, anything that he could to try and soothe the other. He was truly worried about his Hikari right now, so much that he didn't even care that he was being gentle or showing a kinder side of himself. Right now nothing mattered but calming Ryou down. He wished that he knew what had gotten into his host, but wasn't about to ask again... at least not until he had calmed down somewhat. Only then could he really help, but the thief king did not want to bring up anything that might cause his Hikari more pain.

Hands were constantly stroking him in order to calm him down but he just could not stop himself from crying like this. He was utterly scared of the fact that he may not be with Bakura the moment the dark lord would take over the world. Instead of saying anything, he grabbed the Millennium Ring and then placed it on the thief king. The moment it would be draped around the thief's neck, he would feel that certain completeness once more; however, Ryou's soul no longer resided inside the said item.

Bakura could not understand why Ryou had taken off the Millennium Ring again and insisted that he wear it. When he put it on, it warmed against his skin, as if accepting him back. The thief was filled once more with that sense of power he had not felt in ages, and despite how he knew he should be protesting the feeling, he couldn't help but embrace it subconsciously. At the front of his mind right now though was the issue at hand, namely how insecure and upset Ryou was. He continued to hold the boy and began to rock him gently, wanting nothing more than to have him calm down.

In truth, he was somewhat being manipulated by the darkness inside the Ring. The manipulation was so great that it was already at the point that he was already forgetting the voice of reason that constantly told him to stop whatever it was that he was doing. The boy stared at the thief king beside him before looking at his hands. Marik's voice was echoing inside his head, particularly about his own disposal. Anything that Ryou would even try to say came out as something else. Soon enough, the boy was already on the thief's lap, holding the thief as tight as he could. He feared that the moment he would loosen his hold, the thief might suddenly disappear from his arms just like in one of the nightmares that was implanted in him by the dark lord. "You promised... No leaving," he whispered, mumbling random words after. He did not know what was happening to him already. It was as if his mind was fully captivated by the dark lord. Zorc Necrophades knew that he had to use Bakura in order to be reborn in the present time and this boy was being such a hindrance in their paths.

"No, no leaving. I promise." That was really the only thing that the Thief King could respond to. Everything else was just a jumbled mess of words, many of which didn't even make any sense. Something about this situation just felt so wrong, but Bakura himself couldn't decide what it was. It might have been the Millennium Ring, or the fact that Ryou could not fully explain what was bothering him, or maybe it was just the fact that he did not have a good handle on the situation. But something was wrong, just the same.

Possibly, this connection that the tomb robber had with the boy could possibly help them after all. The dark lord could not help but smirk at the sudden idea that stayed in his head. Part of him was still sealed in the Millennium Puzzle so the plan can be set soon. Of course the boy could hinder the thief king but if played right, then the boy would simply fuel the rage of the tomb robber- particularly, his demise. Ryou looked at his thief king, the moment he regained his breathing. He was still sobbing but tears had already ceased to fall. He brushed his lips against Bakura's in a soft, innocent kiss. He wondered if Bakura would understand him now that he was at least trying to make sense. He could not help but feel that his grip on reality was slowly dying every second he steps into the thief king's life. Ryou pressed deeper, filling the kiss with all of his love for the tomb robber- to the point that his heart was nearly bursting with it. The boy wanted to tell him everything that he could not say with his voice. At least, through his actions, the thief king would be able to understand.

Bakura kissed Ryou back, not forcing anything on him, but accepting whatever pace the boy wanted. He could feel everything behind this small kiss: the fear, insecurity, love... everything that Ryou was feeling right now. It made Bakura want to pull Ryou closer and never let him go. He knew that was impossible, though, as they were already as close as they could be and he would need to physically let go sometime. But not anytime soon.

He parted from the thief king after a few moments, taking a deep breath before finally explaining what had happened. "Images of... Dark Lord... Shadii said... Too Pure... Can't... C-Can't... Can't be with..." he stuttered, biting his lower lip after the very confusing string of words. He hoped that Bakura would at least get a gist of what he was trying to say. "C-Can't... Can't be with Kura," he tried his best not to resume crying upon saying the line. He just could not admit to himself that his only security blanket was slowly disappearing from his hold- and he was helping him do it. "Kill me," he whispered, holding the thief king's hands in his. He felt hopeless and utterly unsure. All he knew was that he could not get what he wanted- something that he had gotten used to after several years. _'Kill me. I'd rather die by your hands than die because of losing you. I will never let you go again. If you would want me to do that, you'll have to kill me first.'_

The thief growled upon hearing Shadii's name, wondering just what the mysterious man had said to his Yadonushi. It started to seem as if this whole mess was his fault, at least until Bakura realized what the other meant when he said 'Dark Lord.' "Zorc..." He whispered. How much did Ryou know? And what exactly had he seen in these images he mentioned? Before Bakura could even ask, Ryou continued by saying that they couldn't be with each other. That really made him wonder what had gone on - of course they could! Even when Zorc had been summoned, that wouldn't change anything between him and Ryou as long as Bakura could have anything to do with it. And yet...

'Kill me.' That had been what Ryou said to him. Bakura's eyes widened in shock; how could he even think about doing something like that? He could not and would not kill his precious Hikari, ever. But in the back of his mind, something was telling him that everything would still work out. It would be easy to kill Ryou... too easy. And then nothing would get in the way of his goal of killing the Pharaoh and inflicting despair upon the world...

"No." Bakura quickly pushed Ryou off of him, visibly shaken by something the boy could not see, but the thief could feel all too well. "I... I won't. I can't kill you. Don't... don't say that. Don't ever say that!" He was yelling now, much louder than he should have been. "I'm not... I-I won't... leave you..." The thief king's hand went to the switchblade knife in his pocket without his consent. He didn't even realize what he was doing until the blade was out and pointing upwards, directly in front of his own face. He didn't even know what he was doing with it. "S-so... so you can't leave me either. I'll die myself before I let anything happen to you!"

By now, Bakura's eyes were wide and manic, giving him a truly insane expression - one that he hadn't actually worn in ages. He couldn't even remember the last time he had panicked like this, but it was likely when he was still alive in Egypt. He was panting heavily, waiting for some sort of reaction, or some sort of movement from Ryou or anything, really; the moments seemed to stretch out before him, and with each second he tried harder and harder to ignore the thoughts swirling about in his head.

Ryou looked up the moment the thief push him away. He felt somewhat rejected- hurt to a certain point until he heard what Bakura was saying in the first place. The boy looked up at him wearily, tilting his head to the side as he tried to understand what Bakura was saying. His mind was clouded with his own thoughts along with the thief king's thoughts. He crawled towards Bakura, holding his hand before pushing the blade down. He shook his head lightly, "No, No leaving," he whispered, copying what the thief king said that made him calm down. He held onto his Yami before pressing their lips together. He licked his bottom lip before nibbling on it slightly, slipping a tongue inside the thief king's mouth. The blade was dropped immediately as Ryou pulled the thief king on top of him. There it was again; the feelings of security and at the same time the feeling that someone wanted him. He loved the feeling of having Bakura own him this way- in every aspect of his body and soul. He knew that he should not have said those words to him but at the end of the day, he was still scared.

He was scared of the fact that Bakura might not want him after hearing those words; however, here he was, holding his Yadonushi so close. The two white-haired boys would only part for a quick refill of air before continuing their passionate encounter. Hands quickly found each other's bodies, grazing their fingertips against the most sensitive places. Skin would press against skin, forgetting for a moment that they were doing something forbidden and out of the ordinary. Sweat trickled down Ryou's neck and forehead the moment the rush of pleasure ran down his spine; his body limp on the bed after the wave of desire carried them over. Nothing would satiate his hunger and desire for his darker counterpart even if they had done the act numerous times already. Soon, Ryou's skin was covered with different marks again but at the same time, the marks transferred to the thief king as well. Their bodies were mimicking each other already- as if they were saying that the other cannot be touched by anyone else. "Yami-sama," he whispered, running his hand through the other's hair.

Ryou felt happy this way, staying with him like this. He would have opted to stay in the said position if not for the alarm clock that signified that he had to get up already. The boy groaned, wondering if it was truly alright to do such a deed early in the morning. He reluctantly pulled away from the thief king, cleaning up the fluids that were sprawled all over him and his Yami. "Do you think we do it too much?"

It was about the hundredth time that he had thought this, but Bakura still knew he would never get enough of Ryou. He had never once imagined needing or loving someone so much, not since his childhood when everything he cared about had melted away before his eyes. He was smiling now; truly happy in spite of everything that had gone on. Even when Ryou dragged him into the bathroom and asked if they got intimate too often, all the thief could do was laugh. "Of course not. If anything, we don't do it enough." He had kissed Ryou again then and allowed things to continue from there. Three thousand years of repression was a lot, after all.

He grinned a little, before whispering in the other's ear, "It's my turn now." Soon enough, said thief king was pulled in the bathroom as well. Needless to say, different sounds of pleasure and pain erupted from the said room. When they had finished, Bakura had gotten dressed too, although now he felt like he should be getting some rest. He might as well, since there wasn't much he could do while Ryou was at school anyway, but then again he hadn't done a lot of thieving in the broad daylight lately. He kind of missed it, so maybe that would have to be how he entertained himself for today. Ryou sighed, putting the last part of his uniform on him as he looked at his Yami. "I'm sorry, Tozokuoh-sama. I guess I just got caught up with everything. I was so confused. What if Zorc does not allow me to stay in the new world?"

He sighed lightly before shaking his head, "No, Don't answer that. I'm sure we'll find a way." The boy then grabbed one of his spare uniforms before giving it to the boy in the next room. "Please ready yourself, Mariku. We'll be leaving in a while," he instructed. He also told the Egyptian boy that he had to act as convincing as he could to prove that they were actually a couple in front of the pharaoh- a request that the tan boy happily agreed to. The boy then scurried back to his room, grinning at his Yami before kissing his forehead. "Don't be too jealous. You can always punish me when I get home?" he implied, wrapping his arms around the thief king.

Just before Ryou left, Bakura stopped him. He looked confused, but not unhappy in any way. "Why do you still call me that? -Sama, I mean. You know you don't have to." Part of him did enjoy being called by that term; it gave him a sense of empowerment, but after those last sessions one right after the other, he doubted that the power in this relationship was solely his. Especially considering how rough they had been throughout the entire thing. He didn't even care that they might be causing Marik unwanted stress; he had practically forgotten Marik was even there until Ryou went to tell him the plan for that day.

"Hmph. I don't know if I can stop myself getting jealous, but you can be sure there will be some sort of punishment waiting for you when you get home." He licked his lips, then laughed slightly, wondering how Ryou would react if all the creampuffs in the fridge were to mysteriously disappear. It was a joking sort of punishment if only because Bakura had something completely different in mind in the way of punishment.

When Ryou and Marik left, the thief sat down on his own, thinking about what had just been said. If Zorc wouldn't allow Ryou in their new world... no, that wouldn't happen. Though the God of Darkness may have been able to manipulate whomever he wanted, there was still the matter of Bakura being the only thing allowing said God to be resurrected. This way a two-ended deal, after all. He touched the metal of the Millennium Ring and smirked. Nothing was going to stop him from getting what he wanted... not even Zorc himself.

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**Preview for Chapter 21:** A Temporary Truce?

The boy was led up towards Yuugi's room, causing Ryou to widen his eyes in shock. He had never been inside another person's room after all. He sat on the boy's bed, looking around for the miniature pieces that Yuugi was talking about. "Where are the monster world pieces, Yuugi?" he said innocently, tilting his head. Of course, Ryou did not notice that it was actually the pharaoh looking down at him and with Marik waiting downstairs for them; his guard was on the down low.

"I know that the Spirit of the Ring is here. He would not let anything happen to his beloved host now, would he?" the pharaoh said, his voice sinister. With a little bit of Shadow Magic, he was able to make Marik faint- not really something that he would feel in the morning. By now, the pharaoh had shut off all communication with his partner- he had to do this after all. Yami placed a hand on Ryou's neck, eyes narrowing at the boy. "Come now, Thief. Come out and play."


	21. A Temporary Truce?

**Love me so Tender  
**Domino City Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Last chapter of Love me so Tender? OH SAY IT ISN'T SO! D:

Thank you to the readers and the people who have stuck to the story so far! :) I never would have imagined that this story would get more than a thousand hits just for May! Seriously! It makes my heart well up with joy to see that you guys really took the time to read through it. You cannot imagine just how much I appreciate your views AND reviews! :3

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my wonderful reviewers: Partners-N-Crime, even though she has been busy for the past few weeks; Darth Mudkip, who makes me smile everytime I read the reviews; Regal Angel for giving me enough constructive criticism to edit the stories more... And make it more read-able for you guys; Kitsune Demon Girl for being really supportive; and of course, River Tear for leaving really awesome reviews. :) I love you guys! :3

I want to hear from you guys too! Drop a review and tell us what you think of the story! I also want to know if you want me to bold the conversation parts to make it easier to read? Or not? Please let me know! -getting really obsessed with formatting the story-

YGO is not ours, blah blah blah. We do own the plot though... Blah blah blah.

I guess that's it for this heart felt Author's Note. After this last chapter of the Domino City Arc... Well, let's just say that I finally said which arc comes next.

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 21: **A Temporary Truce?

Soon enough, they were in their respective classrooms, getting ready for a rather long day ahead. Ryou twirled a pen in his head, looking at the board before looking at the view outside the window. He just could not believe that he was actually shaking- trembling even as he begged for Bakura not to leave. He shook his head lightly; his face flushed the moment he remembered what occurred simply hours ago. _'The Millennium Ring does not accept me as its owner. That's probably the reason why it started to hurt again. When I met up with you, I started to learn how to use it all over again but it hurts now because... You're not here anymore. You're not a part of my soul.'_

The boy sighed, looking at his notes. Little notes on the subject matter were scattered on the otherwise blank paper it was simply done to keep Ryou preoccupied. He was fighting his senses not to suddenly leave his seat and simply snatch the item away from the boy next to him. He took a side glance at Yuugi, narrowing his eyes when he saw the familiar puzzle around his neck. It was so close- nearly at his grasp and yet, he just could not take it. It felt rather infuriating, knowing that he had to simply satisfy himself by waiting for Bakura's plan. In order to free Zorc Necrophades, they first had to open the door to the World of Memories- particularly, the memories of the pharaoh, right?

_'Kura...'_ he thought playfully, trying to lift up his spirits even just for a little while. Messages of rather not-so innocent nature were immediately sent to the thief king- particularly, things that they could do when he reached home. It seems like the white-haired boy was doing a different type of planning after all.

Bakura listened with detached amusement when Ryou started speaking with him, and didn't respond right away. Where he was sitting down, he was smirking, and in the back of his mind (unbeknownst to Ryou) he was wondering just how much he could get away with right now. If he tried to say something similar, would he accidentally end up causing some sort of reaction? Even if he did, Bakura knew it wouldn't really be much of an accident. He laughed. _Yadonushi, you're so mean, telling me all this while I still have to wait for you. I might not even be able to wait now..._

He sent a few more words over the mind link, many of them being oddly dirty and suggestive. Bakura wondered just how Ryou would be reacting to all of this, but didn't bother asking. He was having fun, and this was the next best thing to actually doing what they were talking about anyway. Though he did wonder what was going on at the boy's school...

Yami looked at the marks on the boy that seemed to have multiplied even more. He gazed at his partner's neck as well, wondering as to what it would look like if he were to do such deed. The pharaoh gulped at the thought, hating himself for procuring such indecent images in his head. His desire for the boy was growing immensely and he did not even know how to satisfy his urge to do things to Yugi Mutou. He was a spirit, after all, and he could not exactly do much. A particular thought entered the pharaoh's mind. The suggestion was only passing by in his head; Suggestions that did not come from his partner nor did it come from his own thoughts. Rather, it came from a voice in the shadows. Now, the pharaoh knew that he should not trust the shadows for they may be looking out for their own benefit. Any failure in this elaborate game would mean death for him and his partner- something that Yami was not going to allow in the first place.

All he knew was that the Spirit of the Ring was back- but it seemed as if collecting the items was not its number one goal.

Once again, the suggestion surged through his head- a suggestion that was quite questionable but it was promising at the same time. _'Aibou, we can get to his other self. We can use Bakura as a proper leverage against the Spirit of the Ring. Do you remember the Battle City tournament before, right? If Bakura would be put in danger, the Spirit of the Ring jumps at the opportunity to protect his host. We can use this to our advantage and destroy him once and for all.'_

Of course, he was concerned about Ryou as well but their safety came first. _'Or at least we can prove that the Spirit of the Ring is truly back. Aibou, we should do it as soon as possible. After school, bring the boy with you. We will not hurt him to the best of our abilities, Yuugi. We just need to know who- or what- we're dealing with here. We're keeping ourselves at a disadvantage when we stay in the dark like this.'_

Inside the Millennium Puzzle, the dark lord was just smirking. His little pawn was being such a little deviant now, is he? This boy- this Ryou Bakura- was making his thief king weak. Weaknesses cannot be present if Bakura were to summon the dark lord perfectly. Bakura had a lot of tasks to do and collecting the Millennium Items was only the beginning of everything. Maybe, he could accomplish more than what he's planning by getting rid of this boy. First, he would be able to get rid of Bakura's distractions. Also, he was going to sever the relationship between the pharaoh and the most important thing for him. Weakening the pharaoh like that would make it easier for him to cloak the world in darkness. The dark lord was slowly getting excited over this. The boy had already served his purpose, providing the Millennium Items and momentary pleasure to the thief king but he was becoming more trouble than he was worth. It was time to get rid of the unwanted characters in the dark lord's plans and of course, Ryou Bakura was at the top of his list.

Meanwhile, Yuugi was listening to his Yami, glancing at him every now and then. He had noticed that the same look on the spirit's face from yesterday was back again, only this time it looked like he was actually trying to restrain himself. Yuugi couldn't help but blush, because he thought he recognized the look as being one he himself wore when thinking rather lewd things about his Yami. Before he could even ask what was wrong with his other self, said person began to speak to him. About, just as he had predicted, Bakura. Yuugi sighed quietly, hoping nobody noticed that he was zoning out again. _He does seem a little preoccupied today. He isn't even taking notes like usual, and he keeps looking over here. I wonder why? But he looks really happy, too. I wonder if he and Marik are..._The boy trailed off, blushing himself now. It wasn't proper to think about them like that! And besides, his Yami didn't seem to be on that track anyway.

_I don't want to hurt Bakura-kun!_ He protested. Really, Yami's behavior was starting to shock him. Just the other day he had been sure the Spirit of the Ring was gone! But given what Marik had said, maybe that wasn't the case. And Kaiba seemed suspicious too, on top of that. He sighed internally and closed his eyes. _All right, I'll ask him to come over after school. But you're taking over then, all right? I don't want anything to do with this plan if it puts Bakura-kun at risk! And at least tell him what you're going to do._ Yuugi had a bad feeling about this, but he trusted his other self more than anyone else in the world. He doubted that the Pharaoh would let any harm come to one of his friends... but there was still that dark feeling in the back of his mind. He had changed, but Yuugi could never forget the time that his other self nearly killed Kaiba to win a game of Duel Monsters. He shuddered at the thought.

At the same time, Ryou was trying his best to control the urge to even brush against himself. _'Just one stroke would be enough,'_ he thought to himself, almost forgetting about the mind link even for just a second. In bed, his Yami would not usually talk this suggestive. He would not usually say these things that made his toes curl like this. That was probably what made the naughty messages work so much. He parted his lips to sigh a little. _'I want you right now- more than you even know,'_ he said through the mind link and just when he was about to say something that could partially push Bakura off the edge, the sound signifying the end of class resonated within the classroom.

After class had ended, just as Yuugi spotted Marik at the door, he stood up and walked over to Ryou with a smile on his face. "Bakura-kun!" He greeted happily. On the inside he kind of felt bad for deceiving his classmate. "After school today, do you want to come to the game shop? We got some new Monster World pieces in, and I know you like that game, so if you wanted to come look at them, feel free to!" That, at least, wasn't a lie. Hopefully Yami would tell Ryou what he was planning, and if the white-haired youth agreed to it, then everything would be okay. But if not... well, at least they could spend some time together. Kaiba had so rudely taken the boy away from him the other day, so they hadn't had the proper time to play any games at all.

Ryou's face was completely flushed when he stood up. There were new monster world items in the game shop? But, when the boy was there yesterday, he failed to notice anything new inside their shop- save for some board games and some cards. But, it would not harm him to go, right? Besides, Bakura wouldn't mind if he was going to the shop, right?

"Marik is welcome to come along too, of course!" He didn't ask his other self about Marik, but he hoped it would be okay for the Egyptian to come to. He had been the one to give them the hint about the Spirit of the Ring being back, and besides that, it really did look as if he and Ryou were an item. Yuugi didn't want to separate them, after all. As much as he didn't want to say it out loud, he found them a rather cute couple. The thought made him blush; what made him blush more, though, were the kinds of feelings he would get around those two acting all couple-like together. Sometimes he would imagine he and his Yami being that close... but he quickly dismissed those thoughts. It would be impossible outside of his dreams, anyway, considering that they shared a body. If his Yami did have his own body, well... that would be different. Yuugi frowned for a split second: something about that didn't sound right, or rather, it sounded a little bit odd. But he didn't know what he was really getting at with his own train of thought, so he left it alone for now. Something wasn't right, though, but he couldn't make the connection between the two ends.

_'I'll be getting something after school, Kura. I'll be a little late,'_ he said through the link before nodding. He felt an arm drape loosely around his shoulder, blushing even more at the sudden contact with the tan boy. If only everyone knew as to why he felt this flustered, then maybe they would easily understand; however, from the point of view of the pharaoh, it seemed like it was a normal thing to do when you're with the person you loved. Soon enough, the bell rang for the last time that day, signifying the end of classes. By the end of the day, Ryou looked so tense and upbeat, causing him to panic slightly. "I'll meet you guys at the gates?" he stuttered, fixing his things at his designated locker. _'B-Bakura-sama... I-I just can't take it anymore. C-Can you please take over Marik even for just a second? I wish to receive a kiss'_ he requested, hoping that his plead would be answered soon.

The thief had been happy to hear what Ryou was saying and the little slip-up about only needing one stroke. He wondered if things were really that bad on the boy's end or if he was just saying stuff like that to tease him. He hadn't actually used Marik at all today, mainly because he just did not like the thought of using a body that _wasn't_ Ryou's (and Marik had already been changed so that he wouldn't do anything risky to their plans), but he had been glad to take over it to have some sort of contact with his host.

The moment they were already by the gates of the school, a very faint mark of the eye of Horus appeared on the Egyptian's forehead. Soon enough, an arm was around Ryou's waist, tugging him closer before pulling him in a deep kiss. For Bakura, it certainly felt weird, kissing something that wasn't really there. He could feel it through Marik, but at the same time, he couldn't feel it at all.

The boy could not help but moan the moment he felt Marik's lips on his- not for the obvious reasons of course. It was mostly due to his pent-up adrenaline from talking to the thief king all day. Unfortunately for Ryou, he did not have the liberty to simply pull his pants down and let nature do its course. After a good few minutes, the pharaoh cleared his throat, signifying that he was feeling a little bit awkward from the actions done by the two boys- mostly because he wanted to do the same to Yuugi.

_I'd rather not take over him next time,_ He said. Even though Bakura didn't mind it, and he had been glad to have an effect on Ryou from so far away, he was not pleased at all about having to wait even longer for Ryou._ What are you picking up, anyway? I'm tired of waiting for you._He hadn't gotten a response, so the thief just had to find a way to occupy himself while he waited. Unfortunately, he knew all too well that if he got frustrated and impatient enough, things could become bad very fast. He had a tendency to be rather destructive when he was bored.

He did not even notice the mark on the Egyptian's forehead, simply looking at the soft skin of his partner. _'Aibou,'_ he said, almost seductively as he groaned a little. He was not even to catch himself there, simply clearing his throat again before looking away from the blushing boy. _'We should hurry back to the Game Shop. The faster- the better.'_Ryou blinked a little the moment they reached the said game shop. What made him somewhat shocked was the fact that they did not go to the game table like they would usually.

The boy was led up towards Yuugi's room, causing Ryou to widen his eyes in shock. He had never been inside another person's room after all. He sat on the boy's bed, looking around for the miniature pieces that Yuugi was talking about. "Where are the monster world pieces, Yuugi?" he said innocently, tilting his head. Of course, Ryou did not notice that it was actually the pharaoh looking down at him and with Marik waiting downstairs for them; his guard was on the down low. "I know that the Spirit of the Ring is here. He would not let anything happen to his beloved host now, would he?" the pharaoh said, his voice sinister. With a little bit of Shadow Magic, he was able to make Marik faint- not really something that he would feel in the morning. By now, the pharaoh had shut off all communication with his partner- he had to do this after all. Yami placed a hand on Ryou's neck, eyes narrowing at the boy. "Come now, Thief. Come out and play."

The voice inside Yami's head was clearly pleased, causing the pharaoh to increase the pressure that he was putting on the white-haired boy's neck. Ryou choked, sending signals of worry and panic over to the thief king and yet he could not say anything. He was in a state of shock after all and every time he would actually have an idea of what he could say to the thief king, the pharaoh would only tighten the grip around his neck. His methods were crude but at the same time, it was not as messy as having a blade pressed against his neck, right. _'Can't... breathe!'_ he managed to squeak out through the mind link. When he felt as if he was about to lose his consciousness, the pharaoh would let go of him. This point would usually give Ryou a chance to get away from him but the moment he would take a deep breath, the process would repeat. The pharaoh managed to pin him down, maintaining that death grip around the boy's neck. The dark lord simply laughed at the sight of the pharaoh doing the job for him. Ryou was in a vicious cycle of getting strangled and let go and then strangled again. _'K-Kura..!'_

* * *

Bakura was bored- really bored. Just before he could actually do anything remotely destructive, something jolted through the thief's mind. Or rather, he felt something get cut off. His mind link? No, he could still feel things coming from Ryou. Bakura grabbed the Millennium Rod quickly, testing it out only to find that Marik was out cold. He growled to himself, starting to panic a little bit, if only because he could tell something was happening to Ryou. _Wake up, damn it!_he screamed in his head, and oddly enough, Marik's eyes opened. Bakura hadn't realized that he could bring someone out of a somewhat-comatose state. He knew he could lift sleep with the Rod, but this? This was very good.

One quick look around told the thief that they were in the Game Shop. He didn't have any time to waste - apparently, Ryou couldn't breathe, and now he was calling out for his Yami. _Don't worry. Stop panicking, I'm coming._ Without even thinking about it, the thief took off running out of the house and to the game shop.

* * *

Ryou could feel as if he was slowly losing consciousness. He could feel that he was slipping into a deep sleep and who knows when he would wake up. The grips tightened more compared to the grip before that and eventually, the pharaoh was not letting go of Ryou already. The boy fidgeted around, his arms and legs flailing as he tried his best to push the weight off of him.

When he arrived there, the door was unsurprisingly locked. He quickly picked it, scoffing at how predictable the Pharaoh was (but really he wasn't if he was doing what Bakura thought). He quickly made his way up the stairs, where he heard noises coming from through Marik. Now he was hearing them for himself. Bakura stopped there, though, unsure of how to proceed. Something had to be wrong. But he couldn't wait anymore - the thief picked the lock and threw open the door. He was enraged by what he saw before him.

"Pharaoh..." he muttered, smirk forming on his lips despite his fury at the situation."I should have guessed. Let him go - it's me you want, isn't it?"

Soon enough, he felt a loud bang as the door flew open. He could have sworn he saw his own Yami standing by the doorway, but he was not entirely sure. "My… Bakura," he whispered before finally closing his eyes as he fell limp on the bed. He was still breathing though- ragged by it was still there. The pharaoh stood up and grabbed onto the Egyptian, eyes narrow as he stared at the smirking thief king. "Why are you here again? Did we not get rid of you? We already banished your soul in the Shadow Realm!" he exclaimed, glaring at the thief king. He did not know why but he was feeling rather triumphant.

Bakura took a step forward. He knew when he was being challenged, and he wasn't about to back down. Especially not to the damned Pharaoh. Instead of doing something sensible, he just laughed as if he felt sorry for the person in front of him. "The Shadow Realm? What are you talking about, Pharaoh? You should know by now that I can't be contained by that alone. When you're actually a part of the darkness." His eyes narrowed and his smirk only grew until he looked completely murderous. He felt like he should just get it over and done with and slit the Pharaoh's throat right here and now, but he knew he would have to hold back.

Yami held on the Millennium Puzzle before staring at the thief. The pharaoh's eyes were menacing as he looked as if he wanted to kill him. "When will you stop pestering Bakura? The poor boy is already tortured. From the looks of it, you were even taking him against his will!" he exclaimed. Unfortunately for Yami, his idea of what truly happened was totally the opposite.

From his point of view, Marik was being controlled by Bakura all along and that was the reason as to why the Egyptian said they were already going out. Yami thought that the spirit was actually faking everything. It was Battle City all over again! Possibly, the spirit had remnants of his soul within Marik and that was how the thief got back. He snarled at the thief before glaring at him once more. "Stop pestering the poor boy, Spirit! Can't you see that you have caused him great pain and suffering?"

He put a hand to the collar of his coat, pulling it down quickly and laughing madly as he revealed the marks that littered his neck. "Pestering him? Taking him against his will? Pharaoh, you truly are blinded by your own light. Do you think he'd be trying to mark me like this too if I was going against his will? You obviously didn't hear what he just said!" He took a few more steps forward, pulling his knife out of his pocket although he didn't do anything with it yet except flick it open. "Pain and suffering? You would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

He decided that his knife was unnecessary right now and put it away, but not before flashing it in Yuugi's direction. "I should slit your useless little vessel's throat right now. But it's just as you say... I can't do anything until all the details have been sorted out." He closed the knife, pushing the blade back into the handle by pressing the blunt edge against his leg. For the time being, Bakura turned to Ryou, kneeling next to him. He put a hand out to stroke his hair and brush it out of his eyes, checking to see if he was okay. _Unconscious..._he thought. With a growl, he moved to lift Ryou up, putting the boy's arms around his neck and hoisting him onto his back. He needed to have his hands mostly free, just in case the Pharaoh did something that would require Bakura to physically attack or restrain said spirit.

By now, the dark lord was utterly happy. The look on Yuugi's face as he stared at the pharaoh assaulting his friend like that? Absolutely priceless! He could not help but smirk as his gaze fell on the Millennium Puzzle. The thief would find it rather impossible to grab hold of the said item now that his disguise has been blown. He smirked, looking at Bakura as he watched what he was going to do. After all, it would be his decision as to what would happen to them now. As for the nuisance, the dark lord has more plans for him now that he has entered the realm of dreams. He could easily toy with the boy's mind in there; however, he could not do it without a Millennium Item on him. He could deal with the boy later but for now, he needed to attend to the more pressing matters at hand. He looked at the pharaoh before smirking lightly. It's about time for him to be cut off from his puppet strings and he should see the effect he had on the poor game-loving boy. The dark lord was quite pleased with what happened in the room.

Yami blinked once or twice the moment Zorc finally let go of his hold on the said pharaoh. _'Aibou... I'm sorry for hurting Bakura. But he's alright. You don't have to worry about him. He'll be fine,'_ he said through the link, feeling utterly devastated that he had done something this... evil to the boy. He let go of the thief king before walking towards the box that previously held the pieces of the Millennium Items. "I assume that you already have the six Millennium Items that you need in order to open the gates. I have the Three Egyptian God Cards that are needed to get there, and of course, the Millennium Puzzle," he muttered. He knew he was making a deal with the devil- or at least close to it- but he did not have much of a choice. His eyes narrowed down at the thief, "We can call a temporary truce and get there together. I know that you have your elaborate battle plan prepared but you cannot carry it out without your stage. Am I right?" he asked, wagging the cards in front of the thief king.

The thief growled. "Get a move on, Pharaoh. You know where to go, right? Or am I going to have to do all of this myself?" He didn't trust this person at all, so he wasn't going to let Yuugi out of his sight. Bakura made a small signal to Marik so that the Egyptian knew to follow him and keep an eye on Ryou in case something should happen. Said Egyptian nodded and came to Bakura's side, glaring at the Pharaoh as he moved. "I don't even have much use for him anymore," Bakura mumbled. He planned on just leaving Marik behind once he got to his home and retrieved the Millennium Items. Right now the tomb keeper was just an annoyance, one that Bakura really could do without right now.

Yuugi continued to watch what was going on from next to his own body. He had remained silent this whole time, horrified at what was going on before him. He had trusted his Yami; only to watch him nearly kill his friend... something had to be wrong! His other self wasn't like this! And Yuugi knew he would never have agreed to said spirit's plan if he had known this would be how it turned out. He was shocked by the fact that Bakura and Ryou had separate bodies (and kind of jealous despite how angry and scared he was over what his other self had done), but that couldn't compare at all to the hurt he felt at first being shoved in his soul room, then allowed out somehow just to watch what was going on.

He looked away sadly, and finally spoke up when the thief king had rolled his eyes and started going downstairs._ We... should probably follow him... if we want to get rid of him and help Bakura-kun, I mean... _in truth, Yuugi wasn't sure he wanted to go through with this at all anymore. If what the Spirit of the Ring had said just moments ago was true, about all this being what Ryou wanted... then why should they interfere? And if they did anyway, then who was to say that he and his own Yami would be together after all this? He didn't want to give his other self up yet. He never did, really. But in spite of his worries, he decided that he would just let fate play itself out. He closed his eyes and let his false form disappear, letting the Pharaoh take full command for now.

* * *

Ryou shifted a little in his sleep but made no further move after that. When sleep overcame him, he could not help but linger in the moment. He failed to sleep the night before, after all, so the opportunity of sleeping was there for the taking. They found themselves in front of the large stone slab. The glass door was immediately opened and the Millennium Items were placed in their respective slots. Yami held the cards in front of the large stone slab, creating a large flash of light. Soon enough, the four souls were pulled in the Memory World, leaving Marik behind. The Egyptian simply stared up at the Stone Slab, silently waiting for Bakura and Ryou to return. He had no doubt that the thief king could easily overcome these trials and the tomb keeper knew that the pharaoh would soon meet with his demise.

* * *

**PREVIEW**

**Love me so Tender  
**_Egypt Arc_  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

When his eyes opened, Bakura could not believe where he was. Everything looked so familiar, but at the same time, it was just so foreign and strange to him that he couldn't even fathom what was happening. But soon enough, he managed to get a grip on the situation. He was in ancient Egypt... and that wasn't all. When he looked down at his hands, they weren't the same small, soft ones he had when he had possessed his host's body, nor were they the ones he had come to get used to when he had gotten a body of his own. One of his hands moved up to touch his own face, underneath his right eye. Sure enough, there was some uneven skin there. A scar. Just like he remembered it.

He let out a short breath of air, just barely managing not to laugh hysterically. He was the Thief King again. It was only after a moment of crazed laughter that he finally realized that he wasn't alone. Nearby, there was a body lying on the sand. Bakura instantly recognized who it was, and without a word picked up his Yadonushi's body and carried it to the nearest building, which he soon discovered was an inn of some sort. He had told the person behind the small counter to keep the boy he was carrying out of the way of some of these people. When he had refused, Bakura had simply removed one of the gold trinkets he was wearing and offered it as payment. That had been the end of that.

For a while, Bakura had just lingered around and eaten his fill while waiting. He had gotten into a conversation with some of the other people staying here (obviously thieves as well, though none of them were nearly as successful as him if their appearance was anything to go off of), even going so far as to threaten a few of them and even pay a couple off to leave him alone. It wasn't hard for him to get what he wanted here, something he was thankful for. The less trouble, the better. At least until Ryou woke up, and then they could leave.

When he noticed said boy coming into the crowded room, everything fell silent. Bakura stood up and held out his hand, waiting for Ryou to take it. If this truly was from his memories, then everything seemed off. His Hikari shouldn't have been here, and he hadn't ever remembered any of these people. Still, the fact that they were here now... that couldn't be changed.** "It's about time you woke up,"** he said, surprised at how his voice sounded somehow. It was as if he hadn't heard it in years, when really it hadn't been long at all. It was strange to think about. A quick glance around the room told Bakura quite clearly that some of the thieves around here were interested in Ryou... or rather, the things that he was wearing. Bakura couldn't quite explain all the jewelry, but he liked it. It was the kind of thing he would have gladly stolen from the tombs of the most respected Pharaoh's just for his Yadonushi. What he didn't like were the stares his Yadonushi were getting. He smirked and walked towards Ryou, putting an arm around the boy's waist before turning to the other patrons of the inn. **"Any of you scum even think about touching him and your life will be over before you get the chance. Understood?"**


	22. Fall for You

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Hey guys! The two tendershipping addicts are back to create more chaos! :) Up 'til now, we are still working on acquiring YGO so we can make it a totally yaoi show. ;3 And make our two sexy white-haired boys the main characters, yeah?

To the people who have been waiting soooooo long for Puzzleshipping action (ahem, KITSUNE DEMON GIRL, ahem), your wishes are answered! I have a feeling that Yami is totally mean and all that just because he hasn't had any for quite some time now, if you know what I mean.

I also want to take this time to apologize in advance if the chapters would be later than usual. I have been trying my best to still post a chapter every week so that you would not lose interest in the story but school has a very VEEEERY tight hold around my neck. Fear not, I will still try my best to post as many chapters as I can. I was supposed to post this yesterday but the net was off. :(

Also, I would not change the pairing from TENDERSHIPPING TO GEMSHIPPING. I understand that our Bakura has a different appearance but my co-writer and I believe that it still should be classified under TENDERSHIPPING. I guess it's a good mix of both. :)

**Chapter Edit:** I actually decided to take down the formatting. I just saw how much practically botched my formatting. :( Also, the reason why Yuugi refers to Yami in his thoughts as "Atemu" is because we just found it easier to distinguish it from the spirit form of him. I guess that's the reason why Ryou would also constantly refer to Bakura as thief king in this arc. I hope that this explanation is enough to cover that question. Thank you to ilovemanicures for pointing that out! :)

I guess that A/N is long enough. ENJOY! :)

**Chapter Warnings:** Sexual Themes, Puzzleshipping action

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**Chapter 22: **Fall for You

_Thebes, Egypt_

It was his fingers that first moved, slowly twitching as he tried to remember what had happened. Was he still in the museum- in front of the slab? Maybe it did not work after all. Maybe he just lost his mind in the process of getting too obsessed with the Millennium Items.

Why did he even believe that they had magic in them?

Maybe, he was just crazy to think that he had another 'self'.

Why did he even believe that he was a _pharaoh_ in the first place.

It felt odd though. Why was everything warm? And he felt… heavier for some weird reason. His eyebrow twitched before his eyelids finally peered open. He could not quite register everything that was going on at the time but instead, he let his sense of hearing guide him. The horses galloping in the background along with some loud bickering were resounding along the hollow halls. Swords were clanking and even though he was alone in the throne room, he felt as if there were hundreds of people inside. _'Where am I?'_ he thought as he tried to piece things together. He was probably still asleep- and all of this is a dream.

"Your highness! We found this boy lurking around the palace. When we found him, he insisted that he was friends with you. What shall we do with him?" a soldier reported. Yami hurriedly rushed towards Yuugi's side before taking him in his arms. He then noticed that he was wearing something that he saw in his visions- the outfit of the pharaoh. "This boy is my friend. Leave at once! He will stay in my quarters," he said, causing the soldiers to hurry out of the said room.

Yuugi was confused at what was happening. One minute, they were in Domino City, the next, who knows where? And he was alone, too. It was only after some time that he realized just what was going on, and when he did, he immediately tried to get into the palace... but, of course, he was cut off. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to be let go before the Pharaoh himself, who vouched for him. Yuugi was so grateful that he seemed to be back to normal, but he still had his doubts about what had happened before. "My partner, forgive me for what I am about to do," the pharaoh whispered, before brushing the back of his hand against Yuugi's cheek. The boy's cheek was warm, possibly reacting to the new weather around them. He inched closer, his eyes looking deep into his other self's deep orbs before finally succumbing to his little whim. He pressed his lips together, letting his arm fall to the small of his back as he pulled Yuugi closer. _'Oh Ra, if this is a dream, let me stay asleep forever.'_

Almost immediately, Yuugi melted into the embrace and kissed his Yami back. He wrapped his arms around the Pharaoh's neck, not caring who saw... until he realized just what was going on. He pulled away quickly, blushing like mad, and looked away. "H-hey! Don't... um... Why did you..." He couldn't even form a sentence because he was stuttering so badly. Yuugi sighed and waited a few moments, hoping things would sort themselves out. With any luck, his other self would understand him or explain what was happening. Either that or kiss him again so that he didn't have to make a complete fool of himself. Any of those things would have worked just fine for Yuugi.

The pharaoh licked his lips as he began to trace little circles on the boy's neck when he froze suddenly. He could not help but smile at his partner's innocence, kissing him once more. This time, the pharaoh made sure that the kiss was deep enough to the point that he could have sworn he heard the little boy groan out of pleasure. "I am deeply and madly in love with you, Aibou," he whispered in the boy's ear as he gave the boy's ear a quick nibble. For three or so years now, he had been suppressing the feelings he had for the boy. He had been trying his hardest to simply keep his feelings as neutral as possible. However, now that the boy was in his arms and his for the taking, he was not sure if his poor excuse for self control would still hold up.

Yuugi looked up at the Pharaoh, blushing heavily. For now all thoughts about Bakura and the Spirit of the Ring were cast aside; he didn't even know if they were in the same world anymore, and at the moment the boy didn't even care. All he really cared about was his Yami and the fact that said Yami had just admitted to being in love with him. Yuugi smiled. "Good," he whispered, pressing their lips together shyly at first, then gradually becoming bolder until it became close to a fight for dominance. "Because I think I might feel the same about you. No, I do. I have for ages..."

He moaned happily when he felt his other self kiss him again and run his hands over his body. This was all too surreal, but this chance might not come again when they got out of here, so Yuugi was going to take what he could get while he could get it. Hopefully this wasn't all just another game to his Yami, but he could tell it wasn't just by the way he looked right now. "A-are you sure it's okay, though? I mean, doing this here... in the middle of the palace where anyone could see us..." He did want this, yes, but he didn't want to risk Atemu's standing with his people. If they saw this, who knew what could happen?

The pharaoh had to pull away when he realized that his partner was right- they were still in the throne room. He blinked once or twice when he realized that Yuugi had been wearing what it seemed like peasant garbs at the time. Muttering a quick apology, he took off the coat he had on before letting it rest on his lover's shoulders.

One of his high priests came in, the Millennium Key draped around his neck, "Your majesty, your session with the peasants will start soon." Atemu shook his head, smirking lightly. "I'm feeling rather tired today, Shada. I trust that Seth can handle this session on his own. It has been quite a while since the last time I had a decent night's sleep so if I may," the pharaoh stopped at that, smiling when he noticed that the high priest simply nodded and exited. Soon enough, the two boys were already in the pharaoh's bed chambers. Atemu specifically stated that no man was allowed entrance to the room or he will have their heads on a silver platter. Yuugi looked back at the priest that had spoken, but didn't ask about him or the other one mentioned until they got to the Pharaoh's chambers. "He looked like Shadii!" Yuugi exclaimed. "Oh, and who's Seth? Is he anything like - mmmph..." Yuugi's questions went unanswered, evidently, because he forgot about them as soon as his Yami pressed their lips together again.

He massaged the boy's sides a little, licking along the pale white skin. Soon enough, clothes were discarded on the floor along with the different trinkets on the pharaoh's body. His eyes were glazed over a bit the moment he looked at Yuugi. True, he had seen his Aibou before but something about this situation truly fired him up. He could not help but smile as he started to lick all over the boy's chest, massaging the boy's inner thigh. His tongue ran over every part exposed to him, lingering on the boy's nipple and giving it a slight suck. He held the boy's member at hand before wrapping his left hand around it and giving it a slight massage, "No need to hold back, Aibou. No one will hear you. Even if they would, they would not dare tell anyone else," he cooed before stopping the moment he felt as if the boy was getting to much pleasure from being touched like this. The pharaoh simply smiled before letting the rush subside and then continuing the said erotic massage- stopping every time Yuugi was almost pushed over the edge.

Everything was so strange here! It made sense, and yet it didn't. But all that was thrown away the moment his clothes came off. Yuugi gasped and arched his back when he was touched; each sensation was like electricity jolting through his body. "Ah... ahh! Mmm, don't... d-don't stop...!" He cried. Just as the Pharaoh had asked of him, Yuugi didn't bother holding anything back. He didn't even think he could anymore, not after holding back completely for so many years.

Though he had a bit of difficulty with it, Yuugi managed to cling to his Yami's neck, kissing his cheek, jaw, neck, and then down to his chest. "M-my other self... Pharaoh..." he whispered. In truth, Yuugi didn't know what exactly to call his other self, because he had never known his true name. Did he know himself? For now, he would just have to find something else to say. He began breathing harshly. "P-please... stop teasing. I want you to take me, now.

* * *

_Outskirts of Egypt_

When his eyes opened, Bakura could not believe where he was. Everything looked so familiar, but at the same time, it was just so foreign and strange to him that he couldn't even fathom what was happening. But soon enough, he managed to get a grip on the situation. He was in ancient Egypt... and that wasn't all. When he looked down at his hands, they weren't the same small, soft ones he had when he had possessed his host's body, nor were they the ones he had come to get used to when he had gotten a body of his own. One of his hands moved up to touch his own face, underneath his right eye. Sure enough, there was some uneven skin there. A scar. Just like he remembered it.

He let out a short breath of air, just barely managing not to laugh hysterically. He was the Thief King again. It was only after a moment of crazed laughter that he finally realized that he wasn't alone. Nearby, there was a body lying on the sand. Bakura instantly recognized who it was, and without a word picked up his Yadonushi's body and carried it to the nearest building, which he soon discovered was an inn of some sort. He had told the person behind the small counter to keep the boy he was carrying out of the way of some of these people. When he had refused, Bakura had simply removed one of the gold trinkets he was wearing and offered it as payment. That had been the end of that.

For a while, Bakura had just lingered around and eaten his fill while waiting. He had gotten into a conversation with some of the other people staying here (obviously thieves as well, though none of them were nearly as successful as him if their appearance was anything to go off of), even going so far as to threaten a few of them and even pay a couple off to leave him alone. It wasn't hard for him to get what he wanted here, something he was thankful for. The less trouble, the better. At least until Ryou woke up, and then they could leave.

* * *

Ryou stirred the moment he felt something brushing up against his cheek. The air around him was warm, grains of sand hitting his face from time to time. He blinked once or twice, trying to figure out as to where he was in the first place. When he came to, he found himself in the middle of a rather large carpet with pillows about. He had seen the scene once or twice before in his dreams, causing the white-haired boy to pinch himself just to check if he was still asleep. The pinch was rather painful; causing his cheeks to deepen in color if that was even remotely possible. After all, the heat itself was already causing the pale boy to have that certain color on his skin. He looked around, noticing the fact that he was completely alone in the middle of the room. He also noticed that the mind link between him and his darker counterpart was no longer there. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he tried to understand as to what was going on. The last thing that he could remember was that the pharaoh was strangling him in Yuugi's room.

He stood up, noticing that he was not in his school uniform anymore. He was wearing something like a genie would wear- poofy pants and a vest- save for the turban. He had different accessories on- gems of different shapes and sizes attached on the various necklaces and rings that he had on. The setting itself was ridiculously weird but what made him more suspicious was the laughter coming from the other side of the make-shift door. Ryou relaxed a little before lifting the cloth up to reveal dozens of men at the other side, laughing and drinking even though it was the middle of the day.

Ryou blinked once or twice and when one of the thieves looked at him, he immediately looked away, trying his best to avoid eye contact with any of them. It scared him that he was in foreign land without his precious Bakura. It was at that moment that his gaze finally fell on the tan man with short dirty white hair. The man had an inverted cross on under one of his eyes and deep purple eyes. The man's skin was deep brown, and a deep red cloth draping on his shoulders, something that the other thieves did not have. He did not look like a thief at all and if Ryou did not know any better, he would have mistaken him for someone else.

But at the moment their eyes locked with each other, Ryou immediately knew that it was him.

It was Bakura.

He felt as if his heart dropped to his stomach, falling in love with his thief all over again. What shocked him though was the fact that the men were talking in a strange language but oddly enough, he could understand what they were saying. "Tozokuoh."

When he noticed said boy coming into the crowded room, everything fell silent. Bakura stood up and held out his hand, waiting for Ryou to take it. If this truly was from his memories, then everything seemed off. His Hikari shouldn't have been here, and he hadn't ever remembered any of these people. Still, the fact that they were here now... that couldn't be changed. "It's about time you woke up," he said, surprised at how his voice sounded somehow. It was as if he hadn't heard it in years, when really it hadn't been long at all. It was strange to think about. A quick glance around the room told Bakura quite clearly that some of the thieves around here were interested in Ryou... or rather, the things that he was wearing. Bakura couldn't quite explain all the jewelry, but he liked it. It was the kind of thing he would have gladly stolen from the tombs of the most respected Pharaoh's just for his Yadonushi. What he didn't like were the stares his Yadonushi were getting. He smirked and walked towards Ryou, putting an arm around the boy's waist before turning to the other patrons of the inn. "Any of you scum even think about touching him and your life will be over before you get the chance. Understood?"

He led Ryou to the table where he had been sitting, gesturing to have the boy sit across from him. He was still smirking, leaning his head on one hand and looking just as confident as ever, if not even more so. Some food was brought over to them, and Bakura indicated that Ryou should eat. "I've already had some. Go on."It was almost as if he didn't have any worries in the world right now. The time for action would come soon enough - for now, he was celebrating. This was an environment he was comfortable in. Much better than the dark streets of Domino City - here, he had power and influence, and didn't even need to hide until he went to commit real acts of thievery. For now, there was nothing to do but enjoy what they had.

When Ryou had finished and they were both satisfied, the Thief King took his hand and led him outside. No sooner had they stepped out of the door did Bakura pull the boy close to him and press his lips against his Hikari's. He lingered a few moments, deepening it slowly, and when he pulled away, smiled. "Yeah... this is real. I don't understand what's going on, but it's really happening. Keep on your guard, Yadonushi. This isn't a dream."

Ryou was quite shocked the moment he heard the man's voice. It was deeper than usual and sultrier compared to when he was simply the Spirit of the Ring. He fought the urge to wrap his arms around the thief king and ask him to take him right then and there. Soon enough, he was dragged outside, getting a headdress placed on his head to apparently protect him from the heat of the desert. Nothing could compare to the emotions he felt when the thief king finally captured his lips in a kiss. Ryou's heart felt like it floated even just for a moment. He could not help but groan in disapproval when they parted from each other, causing the boy to blush rather deeply. He looked around, noticing that Bakura was somewhat making sure that his hair was covered under the said cloth, making him wonder about something. "Tozokuoh-sama, is there something wrong with my hair?" he asked, tilting his head. He was sure that his Yami did not mind the said 'body part' when they were still in Japan.

He then covered his mouth when he realized why he was being hidden this way- somewhat. He remembered that their hair color was not exactly accepted in Egypt. He recalled that at one of the visions that he heard from Seto Kaiba- about a girl getting pulled away by some guards just because she looked different?

He remained by Bakura's side as they walked along the streets of the busy flea market. At one particular shop, Ryou had to stop and stare at one of the rings. It was rather big and the stone on it was emerald. His eyes widened at the size of the stone, especially because the stone was bigger than the rings on his fingers. He never even knew such rings could exist. Out of curiosity, he asked the keeper for the price of the said object and he was immediately given the 'market price' of the said item. Ryou simply nodded in reply, clutching on the thief king as he blinked, "I never knew those rings would be that big. I guess that would explain the price of it. Would anyone even buy a ring like that?" he asked, mostly as a rhetorical question.

Everything that Ryou said made the thief king smile. He couldn't explain it, but something about what was going on was just so funny. Maybe it was because he was used to how things went in ancient Egypt since this had been where and when he had originally been from. But for Ryou, everything was new! It was kind of fun to play at being _his_host, in a sense. Though it wasn't quite the same thing.

Bakura very nearly offered to get that ring for Ryou, though they both knew he would have no intention of actually paying for it. And anyway, it looked like it would weigh him down too much. As nice as the ring may have looked, it didn't really suit the boy. The thief laughed. "You won't want to draw too much attention to yourself here. People are even less decent in this time than they are in yours... and if they want something, they probably won't wait to take it."

Ryou shifted a little as he looked at the thief king and then back at the road and then back at the thief king once more. "U-Uhm," he started, feeling as if he was with a complete stranger all of a sudden. Sure, he knew that he was with his beloved thief king but the body he was in was still unfamiliar to the boy. He squeezed the other's arm a little, somewhat shocked that it was a little firmer compared to his own arm. "I bet if you carried me, you wouldn't have such a hard time compared to when we were in Domino," he murmured, blushing deeply at the same time. He wondered as to how different the thief king was in bed. "I-I wonder what difference it makes when we... When we... When uhm... You know?" he stuttered, completely looking away from Bakura now. It was as if the boy had other concerns other than the pharaoh.

He gave Ryou a very distinct look at that, sort of implying something else underneath his words. He was certain that the boy wouldn't object to his real meaning, though. If anything, he wanted it too, judging by what the boy said next.

Laughing again, Bakura stopped and knelt down a little bit, moving quickly to grab Ryou and pull him up so that he was carrying the boy. He had been right; it was easier to lift him. But he still wouldn't be able to do it for long, given the heat. He didn't want to tire out too fast, so after a few meters he put the boy back down. "Sorry... it's too hot to carry you around like that for too long. I'll be glad to do it when the sun goes down, though. Speaking of which..." Bakura looked around for a moment, then seemed to decide on something. "Yes. We should find somewhere to stay for now, so we can rest up for tonight... or maybe we can see just what kind of difference this body will make?"

Without even waiting for a response, the Thief King grabbed Ryou by the hand and dragged him into a back alley where nobody seemed to be. The walls were casting shadows, so it was quite a bit cooler than right out in the open, but still not cool enough at all. Bakura liked it, but he doubted Ryou would. Wasting no time whatsoever, the thief king pinned Ryou against the wall (trying his best not to be too forceful or rough; he couldn't remember ever being gentle in this body) and crashed their lips together. This would take some getting used to, mainly because he was a bit taller now than he had been when with Ryou before, and his body was just different altogether. But he couldn't say he disliked this feeling at all.

Ryou could not help but try his best to stand on his toes as he kissed the thief king as well. It was somewhat awkward, really, but every sensation was well worth the pain on his toes. Soon enough, he had to pull away, leaning on the walls of the alleyway. "H-Here? But e-everyone can see us!" he exclaimed, as if it was the most ridiculous thing that he has ever heard. He blushed deeply, looking away as he noticed that the people here were similar to the people back home. Most of them failed to notice the two boys in the corner and the people who actually saw them were very apathetic towards them. "N-Not here," he whispered, shaking his head as he held the other's hand. Ryou was still quite perplexed with the way things were going. The shopkeepers were shouting at each other- exclaiming that the other stole the accuser's merchandise. "Everyone's very... friendly,"Ryou murmured, rolling his eyes at the thought. Soon enough, they stopped by an actual inn but just like most of the inns at that time, they flat out refused to harbor people who did not have actually denominations on them.

Suddenly, the innkeeper saw the mark under Bakura's right eye, widening his eyes. He blinked once or twice before giving him the best room of the inn, stating that they could stay as long as they liked just as long as Bakura would not put harm to their lives. Bakura couldn't tell if the keeper at the inn was afraid of him because he knew who he was or if he just assumed the worst from seeing the scar on his face. But he didn't complain, as they got a room in the end... and what a room it was! Filled with extravagant items, and more specious than it really needed to be. Just before he turned his attention to Ryou, the thief took a quick look around the room to assess if there was anything worth taking. In the end, he settled on there being one thing that he wanted, and it hadn't been in the room earlier.

In Ryou's opinion, everything in the room simply screamed extravagance. From the carvings on the wall to the velvet-like cloth on the bed, he was quite shocked to see such items there. Soon enough, he found himself on the bed with the thief king on top of him. The boy groaned a little the moment the other's thigh brushed against the cloth above his pants. He gulped a little, arching his back but simply submitted himself to the kiss. He was not quite sure if it was because of the heat or it was simply the thrill of having his actual thief king ravage him like this, but his heart was pounding madly in his chest. He wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck, pulling him closer. There was absolutely nothing in the world that he wanted more than his thief king.

He parted from the kiss, the thief's red robe immediately discarded on the floor, along with his vest and pants. In the right light, the marks on Ryou's body were seen but they were slowly fading away- possibly due to his slight change in skin color. Ryou sat up, tugging on his Yami to stay on the bed so he can have his way with the thief king. He straddled the other's waist, taking off all the accessories on the both of them but not before he presented the ring to his thief king. The boy could not help but grin when the thief king would notice that it was the same ring as the one in shopkeeper's stand. "If their security's this lenient, I wouldn't be shocked that you could easily be the king of thieves. Careful, I might just snatch that title from you."

His eyes widened when the ring was given to him, smirk breaking out widely on his face. "You didn't..." he mumbled, but it looked as if his Yadonushi was starting to pick up some bad habits. He allowed the boy to give him the ring and laughed, pulling him down into a fierce kiss. Bakura's lips parted quickly and he pushed his tongue against Ryou's to play with it. When he finally pulled away from air, his eyes were clouded over somewhat. He didn't say anything while his ear was being nibbled on, just laughed breathily and bit down on Ryou's neck where he could reach it. He wanted to leave new marks, fresh ones, because he hated that the ones they had made before seemed to be fading.

* * *

**Preview for Chapter 23**

To coerce Ryou into looking at him, the thief leaned down to kiss the backs of Ryou's hands. Really, sometimes his Hikari could just be too cute for his own good. Bakura then slowly put his hands over top of Ryou's and gently pulled them aside, using just enough force that Ryou couldn't hide completely. He laughed again, but this time without the usual mocking to it. "We're not done here yet, you know. I'm still hard."


	23. Twice the Pleasure

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

After much needed rest, I decided to post the new chapter of LMST. This chapter is a smut chapter, with the exception of the bit after the two horizontal rulers I use to break the scenes. So if you don't want to read all of the lovely mansmex, just run off to the part where Ryou wakes up. ;3

The Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping part was really hard for this chapter. It was giving me such a hard time. The Tendershipping/Gemshipping part, not so much. xD I'm really shocked that a lot of readers also enjoy Puzzleshipping. I guess it has been a personal rule for me that since I absolutely worship my Bakura-boys (encompassing all three of 'em), I have certain ill feelings towards the pharaoh. xD I dislike giving him any kind of happiness.

We still don't own YGO. If we did, then Ryou and Bakura and Tozokuoh would have more screen time. That sexy tan thief is to die for! D:

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! It makes me happy every time I get one! :)

**Chapter Warnings:** Two separate smut scenes... As if one wasn't hot enough. O.O

* * *

**Chapter 23:** Twice the Pleasure

_Pharaoh's Castle  
Thebes, Egypt_

The pharaoh was certainly having fun, listening to the usually innocent Yuugi beg for his sweet release. There was something about the way he would moan that truly pushed the pharaoh off of the edge. "In due time, Yuugi," he murmured before leaving the bed for a while. Yuugi squirmed when he felt his Yami leaving him on the bed, but it seemed to be worth it. He walked over to the nearby table, looking at some of the oils available there. He grabbed one that had the scent of violet in it before uncorking the bottle. "I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, coating his two fingers in the substance. The scent of flowers filled the room as he eyed his partner. Yuugi looked so beautiful sprawled all over the bed like that. Pressing his lips against the smaller boy's lips, he slipped a finger inside him and then another one, slowly moving it in and out of said boy. The oils helped a lot, making his movements more fluid compared to that dry sensation. He bit back a groan when he felt Yuugi's insides contract against his fingers. His partner was tight. When Yuugi felt those fingers moving around inside of him, he screamed in surprise and pleasure. It felt... weird, to say the least. He'd never really expected to feel this way ever in his life. But here he was, experiencing this with none other than his other self. It was perfect.

He moved the fingers a little bit faster now, making sure that his inner walls would be coated in it. He would try and part his fingers from time to time in order to stretch the boy even more. When the preparation was done, he pulled his fingers out and grabbed the bottle again. He placed even more of the scented mixture on his member, giving himself a slight stroke. "A-Are you ready, Aibou?" he asked, groaning once more when he massaged himself in order to fully coat his length. When he heard the sound of approval, he pressed the tip of his member against the entrance. Kissing the boy deeply while slipping his tongue inside the smaller boy's mouth, he finally entered Yuugi.

"Ah! Y-Yami!" He cried, feeling himself get filled again, this time not just by the Pharaoh's fingers. He writhed in pain and pleasure, finding that even though he had been slicked from the inside and stretched, it still hurt. But he told his partner to move anyway, and slowly got used to the feeling. Yuugi reached up again and dug his blunt nails into the Pharaoh's back, whimpering in pleasure as he moved against the other body. He was having a hard time holding on, and soon enough he was getting close to falling over the edge.

"Y-Yami... I'm c-close... I'm gonna... Nnngh!" He moaned loudly, feeling one particular thrust that made him see stars. It wasn't quite enough yet, but with a few more like that, Yuugi would be releasing soon enough.

Yami could feel the boy's insides slowly clench around him, only making the sensation triple in pleasure. He angled himself when he noticed that a particular spot that simply made Yuugi scream. He licked the boy's neck before whispering in his ear, "Scream for me Yuugi." The moment he was told to scream for his Yami, that was exactly what Yuugi did. He cried out for his Yami, clenching tightly around him and digging his nails in even deeper, accidentally drawing blood from the Pharaoh's back. He didn't even notice the small amounts of blood trickling down the sides of his fingers from the pleasure he was feeling.

The pharaoh held on the boy's hips and moved faster and harder, trying his best not to hurt the boy. He wanted to still worry about his Aibou, this being his first time and all. However, he just could not help himself as he moved inside the boy, making sure that he was not missing the beat at all. The sound of their bodies colliding against each other resonated in the air- along with the sounds of moaning and groaning coming from the two boys.

He held the boy's hips in a deathly grip, screaming the boy's name as he finally met his release. Just as his Yami came, Yuugi did too, pressing their lips together furiously in hopes of muffling his scream, but also just because he was desperate for that contact. He couldn't even believe how good this felt - sure, Yuugi had done things to himself, but never once had it felt this good.

When he finally had released everything he had, Yuugi fell limp underneath his Yami. He was breathing heavily, trying desperately to just not fall asleep. He was smiling as he gazed lovingly up at his other self, reaching to touch the Pharaoh's face almost reassuringly. Tons of emotions were flitting through the boy's mind and body, the most prominent and obvious one being complete and total love for the person above him. He kissed his Yami again slowly, falling back afterwards to wait for what would come next.

* * *

_Random Inn  
Egyptian Market, Egypt_

Bakura groaned against the skin of Ryou's neck, unintentionally causing small vibrations to be felt by the boy. His hand slid down his Hikari's stomach, teasingly light, until it came between Ryou's legs. Bakura began to stroke his Hikari slowly, opening his eyes to see the reaction on the boy's face. The moans he was hearing only made him fall even farther away from his restrictions. Everything about this seemed new and different, even though it wasn't all that new at all.

Ryou moaned softly the moment he felt the thief's fingers graze against his budding erection. The boy peered his eyes open, blushing deeply at the sight of the thief king like that. He looked as if he was in heat; a thin layer of sweat was already making his skin glow. "Koi, you look so-" he whispered before breaking out into a moan when he touched that particular spot. It was weird how it felt so good- even without the connection that they had anymore. The feeling when he was around the thief king was truly magnificent- as if every stroke was getting him closer and closer to that sweet release. He rolled over to the side, panting slightly with his eyes barely open. The back of his hand was pressed against the boy's lips as he tried his best to suppress the sounds that he was making. Even if they were in the privacy of their own room, they were still in a 'public' area. It was obvious that the people next door would soon hear screaming coming from the white-haired boy, so for now, he wanted to control himself as much as he could.

Soon enough, control jumped out of the window the moment he felt the thief king on top of him. He moaned louder the moment their members touched each other, noting that Bakura was indeed more endowed in his Egyptian form. "K-Kura!" he exclaimed, gripping on the thief's shoulders before pulling him in a heated kiss. Ryou shifted before slowly rubbing their lengths against each other, moaning into the kiss once- twice. Soon enough, he was grinding his hips against the thief's, moans getting louder and louder. He had to pull away, releasing a rather loud scream the moment he had released the moan that was fighting to come out. After the scream, a sticky substance covered both of their stomachs, making Ryou blush rather deeply. "I-I..." he stuttered, wanting to hide from the thief at this point in time. He was not even sure as to why he had a premature release for he had not exactly done that before. Possibly, it was because it was THE thief king this time around. Ryou placed both of his hands on his face in a desperate attempt to hide himself from the thief king.

Bakura couldn't help but let out a short laugh when Ryou hit his release. He didn't understand why it had happened either, but it was not a problem for him. The thief was grinning as he wiped some of the boy's seed off of him, lifting his hand and licking the tips of his fingers clean. The whole time, he simply watched Ryou to see if the boy would move or try to stop hiding from him. "There's nothing to be shy of, Landlord," he teased. "So stop hiding, will you?"

To coerce Ryou into looking at him, the thief leaned down to kiss the backs of Ryou's hands. Really, sometimes his Hikari could just be too cute for his own good. Bakura then slowly put his hands over top of Ryou's and gently pulled them aside, using just enough force that Ryou couldn't hide completely. He laughed again, but this time without the usual mocking to it. "We're not done here yet, you know. I'm still hard." He laughed again, not even feeling the need to gesture to his arousal. Maybe he just needed to coax Ryou into continuing a different way.

The thief King kissed Ryou deeply, then moved slowly from his lips to his jaw to his neck to his chest and stomach, licking up what liquid still remained on his Hikari. When he was done that, he sighed and lifted himself away. By now he was getting impatient with Ryou's embarrassment and inaction, so he decided to use this to his advantage too. "I told you, I'm not done yet. If you don't try and help me out here, I'm going to have to do all of this myself." Still with no response, Bakura decided to quite literally take matters into his own hands, and began to stroke himself, moaning quietly as he did so. He could see Ryou from underneath his half-lidded eyes, watching him. Bakura made out as if he didn't notice and continued to please himself.

Ryou could not help but groan in disapproval the moment Bakura was off of him. Seriously, the thief king was being such a tease. His ears perked up the moment he heard that particular moan and as he watched the thief king pleasure himself. The white-haired boy's eyes were following every gesture that his hand would make and when he could not take it anymore, he moved towards his Yami before pushing the tan hand away from his member. He placed the length inside his mouth, softly sucking on the tip before licking along the length. He hated it when Bakura would tease him like this but he also knew that the thief had Ryou's best interest at heart- somewhat. He licked from his sacks until the tip of the other's member, relishing the taste of the said thief king. The taste was different and yet, oddly familiar.

By the time Ryou finally got around to trying to please the thief king, said man was getting really impatient. The wait had been well worth it, though, because he couldn't even remember the last time this particular act had felt so good. It wasn't nearly as long ago as he thought, but right now Bakura was too caught up in pure intense pleasure to realize. He had released all his inhibitions by now, simply letting him get lost in the heat of the moment. Who cared if some lowlife outside this room heard them? It wasn't as if they meant anything, and if they got to be too annoying, Bakura could just kill them in an instant. Hell, based on what Ryou had been doing earlier, _he_could probably kill someone that got to be a nuisance.

Soon, he straddled the thief's hips, looking down at him with eyes that simply screamed with lust. Ryou parted his legs as much as he could before slowly letting the thief inside him. He could not help but scream in utmost pain and pleasure, feeling his inner walls slowly stretch at the sudden intrusion. There was no doubt about it- the thief's Egyptian form was ridiculously larger than the one he was used to. Soon enough, Ryou was actually hardening once more, lifting his hips up before trying his best to fit the entire length inside him. When Ryou finally got his rhythm, he moved up and down, making sure that the thief's member was actually hitting only one particular spot. "K-Kura!" he exclaimed, along with some incomprehensible words that can only make one assume that it felt rather good. Ryou moved faster, his movements getting crude as he felt his inner walls clench against the thief king's member.

"Ah, G-gods, Ryou... so tight...!" He gripped the boy's hips and began to move with him, bucking his hips upwards for every movement Ryou made around him. Soon enough Bakura was shuddering in sheer pleasure, eyes shut tight despite how much he wanted to see what his Hikari's face looked like when they both reached completion. What he had just seen had been so beautiful... Ryou's face contorted in pain, but that deep blush betraying how much he enjoyed this... it was too much. Bakura came quickly and unexpectedly, releasing himself inside of Ryou but still moving until he was completely spent.

* * *

Ryou stretched when he sat up, looking around before widening his eyes. Apparently, what had happened was not a dream for he was still in Egypt and the tan thief was still beside him. He looked around once more, finally noticing the interior decoration of the room. It was a lavish room indeed- a conclusion he made upon seeing the bed and the walls but he failed to notice that there were vases of different shapes and sizes around the room, most of them made in pure gold. He walked towards the window, leaning on the ledge before looking at the night sky. The sky was clearer in comparison to the busy streets of Domino City but the events that were happening at the streets were not much of a difference. People were hollering, trying to get their voices higher compared to the other vendors as they were enticing potential buyers. Bargains here and there were being made as some would barter while the others held gold, silver, and copper coins. He assumed that they were the denominations used at the time.

He tiled his head, looking at one of the stalls. Some were selling dried fruit while some were selling different garments. He licked his lips, feeling slightly parched. After all, he could not drink much at the tavern for the drinks were mostly rum. At that point in time, his stomach growled, making him move towards the pile of clothes that were at the other end of the room. After placing the said garments on, he then proceeded to putting on the jewelry- at least giving it a try. The arm bands were ridiculously hard to put on, making him wonder as to why they took it off so easily before they committed such act. A blush quickly spread across the pale boy's cheeks as he still could not believe that he was here- with his thief king. He turned before walking towards the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping thief. He brushed a few strands out of his face, blushing deeply as he could not help but to admire the thief king. His features were flawless, save for the inverted cross mark beneath his right eye.

Ryou's gentle fingers slowly made his way around the thief's cheek, trying his best not to wake up his lover. Once more, he blushed at the idea. Not once did he think that he could call himself the thief's lover. He never knew that he could be and would be this close to Bakura. His fingers trailed off to the area beneath his right eye, remembering that it hurt like hell when the Shadows tried to inflict a similar pain to him. He stroked the other's cheek- small gestures to let his thief know that he was deeply and madly in love with him. He could recall that the thief would do this to him too while he was sleeping- though he was not entirely sure if those were merely dreams or if the thief was truly getting tender with him. When his fingers reached the thief's lips, he could not help but gasp at its softness. His other hand made its way towards his own set of lips, comparing how the two felt. He wondered as to why he didn't notice this before. Possibly it was due to the heat of the moment- not that Ryou could complain in the first place. He hovered over the thief king, quickly pressing his lips against the thief's.

His lips only lingered for a moment before pulling away, blushing furiously as if scolding himself for giving into his urge- his utmost desire to kiss the thief. This time, he could not blame magic or any type of dark arts with the feeling he gets when he kissed the thief. Even if they did not have that soul connection that they did in the city, he could not help but feel as if he wanted Bakura more without the Ring. He wondered if it was merely the side effect of the Ring at first but now, he was utterly sure about his feelings. The way he would smirk, smile, pout, growl, and even glare at him would immediately send pleasant chills down his spine. It was that stupid smirk- that overly confident smirk that usually got Ryou feel like collapsing. The moment the thief would wrap his arms around him, holding him to the point that Ryou knew he would not be let go, the boy would slowly trust that the thief feels the same way. "Mine," he whispered, heart pounding even more when he said that. He never really had anything that was his- other than his name and just knowing that this particular thief was his truly made the boy feel rather triumphant.

A curt knock could be heard before a couple of servants entered the room, carrying trays of some kind. The servants immediately left upon leaving the said trays on the table nearby. Ryou furrowed his eyebrows mostly in shock at the sudden act of kindness. Ryou walked towards the food, looking over at some innocent-looking bread and some cups filled to the brim with something that looked like water. He tilted his head at the porcelain cup, noticing that the sides were already turning into a shade of black. He blinked once or twice, trying to see if his eyes were only messing with him or if the water was tainted in the first place. He also noticed that the servants placed matches on the trays, making Ryou remember that he had to light up some candles. The room illuminated within minutes the moment the boy lit the said candles. In the right light, the boy could clearly see that the water was tainted and possibly, the food was tainted as well. He was not entirely sure though, for he was not particularly used to getting poisoned here and there. "I could wait 'til Bakura-sama wakes up," he said to himself, nodding.

* * *

**Preview for Chapter 24:** Needed Sacrifice

Hearing Ryou cry out in pain was enough to break the Thief King out of his focused state, at least partially. He had been so caught up in fighting the Magician that he had completely forgotten about the simple trap lying about. Having Ryou get caught in it because of his carelessness only enraged Bakura further. It wasn't easy for him to divide his attention at the moment, but he did his best to try and protect Ryou. But for some reason, the blades weren't coming nearly close enough to the boy to hurt them. Why was Mahado trying to spare him? It just didn't make any sense! He was exposing weakness to his enemy, and both he and Ryou were willing to expose that.


	24. Needed Sacrifice

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba . kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Yeah, you're not deceived. There is a new chapter of LMST. Why? Well, classes were called off today because of heavy floods so I decided that I should post a chapter for you guys. Also, this is just an advance chapter, really. I don't have time to post this next week because classes are more than I could handle as of the moment. I guess I'd like to give you this little cliff hanger (if you can call it that) while you wait for the new one. I have no doubt that Chapter 25 is a tough chapter to edit, especially when it discusses Bakura's mental break down. The preview kind of gives you a glimpse of what's going to happen, right? :3

I do hope that this chapter wouldn't give anyone headaches. I read through it a couple of times and I went through it fluidly. But I think that's because I know what's going to happen next. I even deleted a hell lot of sentences in order to make it more understandable. I do hope that you guys would enjoy it. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask through reviews or PMs. :)

I guess that's pretty much it. Yes, there will be a character who dies in this chapter but as they say... **It's a needed sacrifice**.

We do not own. If we did, then Yami Bakura and Ryou would have had that touching ceremonial farewell and not the Puzzleshipping duo. 3:

**Chapter Warnings:** Character Death

* * *

**Chapter 24: **Needed Sacrifice

Bakura woke up to the feel of something moving nearby. Some weight seemed to shift from somewhere, and only then did he realize what was going on. He smiled to himself, watching his Hikari move about to dress himself, but remaining silent the whole time. The room was dark and cool now - obviously night had fallen already, which was exactly what Bakura had been hoping for. He never had been one to roam about during the daytime unless completely necessary. He got up slowly and stretched before gathering up his own clothes and dressing himself. The thief continued to watch Ryou as he moved around. Apparently he hadn't been noticed yet, because Ryou was talking about waiting for him to wake up while he took the tray. Bakura couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm already awake," he said. Apparently he had been quieter than he'd thought when he moved. Perhaps it was just a trait he had retained in this body? He couldn't remember consciously making the decision to keep quiet.

"What is it you need?" He asked before coming over to his Yadonushi. It was apparent as soon as he saw what was on the tray, though, and it made Bakura frown. Even he wasn't sure if it was actually poison or if it was just dirty water; he had gotten so used to being in modern times that he had started to forget just how different things could have been. "Don't drink it. Wait here." Before he could give Ryou room to protest, the thief king walked out of the room with his robe flowing behind him. He was only gone for a moment, as minutes later he had come back with one of the servants from earlier in front of him. He was constantly looking over his shoulder at the angry-looking thief, until Bakura told him to stop. The servant did immediately, looking nervous about something.

"I don't remember wanting this," he explained, sounding way more calm than he looked - it was a sign that something bad was about to happen. "But since you were kind enough to bring it to us, I thought you might as well have some too." He made a small gesture to the food, and when the servant refused it, Bakura simply laughed. "No, no. We don't want it. Here..." he took off yet another one of the gold trinkets he was wearing and tossed it to the ground as an offering. The servant looked a bit confused, but took the gold anyway, and made to leave until a hand clapped around his throat. The Thief's eyes were narrowed dangerously, and he hissed something under his breath, to which the servant nodded. He was thrown to the ground immediately, only to crawl hastily over to the food and water. Bakura watched as the man got a small taste of the food and drink, only to drop the cup he was holding seconds later and collapse.

Without so much as saying a word, the thief walked over to the body on the ground and took his gold back. He smirked and looked up at Ryou. "I don't know if he actually drank the water or if he's just fainted, but we should leave anyway. I'll get you something to drink when we leave." He didn't understand why they had been given tainted water, or even if it was given to them on purpose. Either way, he didn't trust anything here at all. Before going, he took some of the golden bracelets that the servant had been wearing (they were probably some sort of payment, but Bakura didn't care) and put them on himself. He invited Ryou to do the same for whatever he saw, and once they were out of the room, Bakura tried to find somewhere they could get some food and water.

While they walked, the thief kept glancing over at Ryou. He knew what they needed to do next, but he wasn't certain how to go about it with the boy around. He had been so used to going out on his little 'expeditions' alone, and now that there was someone else to worry about... he wasn't sure what to do. The tainted water had been bad enough, but Egypt was dangerous in its own right. Especially when one intended to rob tombs. "We're going to have to face the Pharaoh eventually," he commented lightly. "And since we don't have any of the Millennium Items anymore... there's a lot of work to be done. You think you'll be okay?" He didn't want to put Ryou in danger, but what they had to do was necessary. To think they had been so close before, only to be thrown back all over again! Gathering the Millennium Items had amounted to nothing in the end. Unless they got out of this world alive, everything they had done in the modern world was useless.

Ryou could not help but to think about the servant and the gravity of their situation. As far as he was concerned, his body was transported here and if he was going to perish in this world then- The boy looked up, tilting his head to the side upon hearing Bakura's question. Will he truly be alright? In truth, the boy was scared of the fact that he might die at any time and without the reassurance that his soul would live on (unlike Bakura); he had to be prudent with his decisions. He simply nodded sheepishly, knowing that panicking or thinking too negatively would be bad for them. Somehow he knew that the thief would know that he was scared under this entire facade but it did not mean that he could not try to at least cloak his fears. "You worry about me too much. I think I can handle myself just fine," the boy mumbled, shrugging. He stayed by the thief's side, trying his best not to look out of place. Unfortunately for Ryou, his white hair was still evident even if it was not as exposed as Bakura's.

Soon enough, they reached the end of the city and they were soon out of the place of merriment and vices. Ryou shivered, wondering as to why Egypt changed from an oversized toaster to a frozen wasteland in just a matter of hours. Fine, it was not as cold as Japan during the winter season but it was his clothing that was slightly bothering him. The vest he wore exposed his arms and chest to the harsh desert winds, wondering as to how the thief king could handle such weather patterns when he was wearing lesser clothes than him. He looked up at the thief king with eyes that were begging for mercy due to the biting cold- requests that he could not voice out for he felt too shy, or rather, his pride prevented him from doing so. His thief king was strong and possessive- to the point that he was ready to leap at anyone who would even considering touching his Yadonushi. Though Ryou didn't mind this quality of his, he did not want to give the thief any reason to think that he was actually weak. No, he wanted to prove to the thief king that he would and could take something as petty as Egypt's winds.

Bakura noticed quite clearly that Ryou was worried about something, but he stayed quiet about it. He wasn't entirely aware that his Hikari was unable to keep a part of his soul in the Millennium Ring, though he was a bit suspicious. If things came to that, though, he could always improvise. The Ring wasn't the only thing that could house a soul, but it would be the easiest for Bakura to use, plus it would allow them the closest connection. If that wasn't possible, though, he would do whatever he could to make sure Ryou did not die.

When they finally reached one of the tombs, Ryou was quite perplexed with what was going on. Guards were barely there to protect the treasures that were said to be carried over to the other side when the Egyptians die. The boy looked around, finding heaps of gold and other valuable items scattered all over the floor as if they were just tempting him to take it. His eyes narrowed a little, checking left and right before realizing that there were absolutely no guards lurking around the vicinity. The tomb was quite confusing but it was easy to navigate through the place when you have a tomb robber next to you. "This might be easier than I-" he stopped, widening his eyes when he saw light coming from the far corner of the room. He yanked the thief king, squeezing into a tight spot with him as his heart beat went through the roof. If they were guards, why were they inside the tomb itself instead of outside when the treasure was available for everyone to take? The boy listened in carefully, trying his best not to collapse at the spot he was standing at.

"I see terrible things in the future, Mahado. Not only for the pharaoh but also for the whole of Egypt." The voice was coming from one of the figures that were walking around the tomb. Ryou tried his best not to let his curiosity take over but he just had to take a small look- just a small peek at the people in the same tomb as them. His eyes widened in shock upon seeing Ishizu there- or at least, someone that looked like her. At her side, a figure that looked a lot like the Dark Magician was reading something from what looked like an ancient book of some sorts. What truly shocked the boy was the fact that the Millennium Ring hang from his neck, causing him to trail his own hands on the empty space on his chest. In truth, he both loathed and loved the Millennium Ring and although he was not 'accepted' by the said artifact anymore, he preferred having it with him. The woman simply sighed, looking around the said tomb, "It seems that the tomb robber has ceased all attacks on Pharaoh Aknamkanon's tomb. Maybe we should head home."

Bakura couldn't help but snicker when he heard the voices coming from not far away. Under his breath, he commented, "The only reason I stopped coming here was because I already took everything worthwhile. There's something else I'm after tonight." He had a feeling that at least one of the Priests would be in here - almost certain it would be the magician that carried the Millennium Ring - but to find that there were two was even better than he had dared to hope for. And they were still in the entrance of the tomb, essentially; not nearly far enough for there to be many traps. If they really wanted to find something interesting, they would have to go further... but for now, this was good enough. The only treasure that Bakura was after now was right in front of him.

He waited patiently for the voices to stop or to see someone walk past them. He knew they were hidden well enough so as not to be seen, but if the Millennium Ring was nearby, then it might be able to detect them. If not Ryou, then it would be able to detect the darkness in Bakura. And the other priest... she could foresee things that would come. There was a chance that she could see what would happen... but a moment later, that worry was cast away from Bakura's mind. Isis only spoke a little longer with the magician, then left, passing right by the spot where Bakura and Ryou were hidden. As soon as she was out of earshot, Bakura moved and pulled Ryou along with him. They could deal with Isis later; it was Mahado that they needed now.

Ryou was quite perplexed with whatever was going on with the whole thing. The boy was hoping that the thief would stop these plans and that Bakura would be willing to go home with him when they have the chance. However, he did as he was told, following the thief wherever he would go. He found it somewhat similar to a game of Simon says- only more twisted and with the added danger of death. _'Great. Just peachy,'_ he thought, almost tempted to set off a trap. He just felt bad about the whole situation- his gut yelling at him that something was bound to go horribly wrong in the next few minutes. His eyes narrowed down, finally reaching what seemed like the middle of the tomb.

There, the boy could not help but gaze at the treasures of different shapes and sizes scattered all over the floor, a sarcophagus resting behind the magician. His heart was pounding- fingers aching to grab even one of those rubies that were simply inviting him over to play with the jewels. "Be careful, Ryou," he whispered. "Stay close to me. This is where the traps start, so let me move first."

With every step they took, Bakura pointed out where there were triggers for potential dangers. He didn't want to risk accidentally activating any, because even though he would know how to avoid them, he wasn't certain he could prevent Ryou from being harmed or possibly killed. He was even starting to re-think allowing his Yadonushi to come into this particular tomb, until he found the person he was looking for. Mahado was staring straight ahead at Bakura from the end of a long hallway, arms crossed as if he were expecting the thief. The Millennium Ring could be seen hanging from his neck, glowing and pointing at the King of Thieves. Bakura could only smirk as he caught sight of Mahado. If this was going to go anything like it had in the past, then this would be a lot of fun.

"We both know why I'm here," Bakura began slowly. He held out his hand as if he were offering it or waiting for something to be offered to him. "So why don't you just give me the Millennium Ring now? It would save us both a lot of trouble." He had absolutely no intention of leaving this place with Mahado's life intact, but if he could get the Millennium Ring without engaging in a fight, then that would just make things better. Allowing him to become the Pharaoh's guardian by killing him had been Bakura's first mistake. If he could prevent that by killing him quickly then that would just make things easier for everyone involved.

It took him two seconds for Ryou to realize that they were on a narrow platform- suspended a few dozen feet above the air. The treasures were scattered all over the floor, yes, but they were all behind the keeper of the Millennium Ring. It looked as if the man called Mahado was protecting the said relics from them- a man that was soon going to sleep eternally from the thief's words. He took a silent step back the moment the magician extended his arm as an apparent challenge against the king of thieves. From the looks of it, the tomb robber was going to accept the challenge graciously, an act that Ryou prayed he would not regret. Soon, the two prepared for a battle and monsters simply appeared out of nowhere. Ryou turned from the left and the right, watching the Diabound fight the magician's Ka, somewhat faltering for a few seconds before it had the chance to fight back. When things started to look bleak, Mahado summoned another spirit in their little scrimmage- the Shadow Ghoul. The boy watched as the lizard-like monster faded in and out of the walls of the said tomb. Ryou feared for the thief's victory at this point in time.

Ryou's eyes widened when he saw the thief king nearing a bear-trap, his foot only inches away from the snapping torture device. Ryou quickly wrapped his arms behind the thief king, placing his foot in the middle of the said item before hearing it snap shut around his leg. Ryou's scream echoed in the tomb and it was only then did the Magician realize the boy's presence. Hearing Ryou cry out in pain was enough to break the Thief King out of his focused state, at least partially. He had been so caught up in fighting the Magician that he had completely forgotten about the simple trap lying about. Having Ryou get caught in it because of his carelessness only enraged Bakura further. It wasn't easy for him to divide his attention at the moment, but he did his best to try and protect Ryou. But for some reason, the blades weren't coming nearly close enough to the boy to hurt them. Why was Mahado trying to spare him? It just didn't make any sense! He was exposing weakness to his enemy, and both he and Ryou were willing to expose that.

_'Odd,'_ Mahado thought as he looked at the pale boy protecting the thief king. "He was not in Isis' prediction. Could it be that you are someone that the Millennium Item cannot detect? Impossible!" the magician exclaimed, simply shaking his head.

He held the Millennium Ring for a moment, trying to sense the dark energy within the boy but the boy was innocent- it was obvious that he was. Mahado's eyes shone with great conflict and fear, wondering if he could really end the boy's life along with the thief king when the boy was considered innocent by the gods. The practitioner simply shook his head, pressing his foot on a particular tile before Ryou noticed the swinging pendulum blades.

"B-Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed when the thief suddenly fell off of the platform. Fortunately, the thief king was able to hold onto the ledge and save himself from his impending death. Ryou helped the thief to climb back on the platform, wincing the moment he felt the brace tighten around his leg. "D-Don't worry about me. I can handle this," he muttered, looking up at the thief with a small smile. The boy then proceeded to fighting with the said device, eventually chucking the torture tool to the abyss beneath them. He stood up, putting most of his weight on his uninjured leg only to find himself ducking for his dear life. The blades were slowly going bonkers- swinging going faster and faster. _'I don't understand as to how that could happen. That King of Thieves does not even possess a heart,'_the priest thought the moment he touched the Millennium Ring again. Even for just a split second, he noticed that the darkness around the thief weakened when the damage was done to the boy. Again, the inner conflict within him commenced, thinking if he could truly use that boy to his advantage.

The priest shook his head, disagreeing with the fact that he had to stoop to that level in order to win this match. No, the gods will surely favor him, right? He had to protect the pharaoh, yes, but he just could not risk the life of an innocent boy. The moment a blade almost made contact with the boy somewhat, the magician's ka immediately released a soft amount of energy- just enough to sway the blade away from the boy. Ryou noticed this gesture, trying his best to regain that contact with his thief king. He had to try and he prayed that if he tried enough, he could possibly send a message to the thief king- anything to help him win this battle.

Suddenly, the boy felt sudden shock run through his spine, feeling the thief's rapid heartbeat that was almost in sync with his. The thief's thoughts were flowing in his head, causing him to shudder a little. The connection was back, the white-haired boy praying that it would not suddenly fall out on them. _'Use me against him, Yami-sama! He won't hurt me,'_ he said through the link, making sure that the magician does not notice their mind link.

Though Bakura did have a few reservations about that thought. He didn't want to put his Yadonushi at risk, but if he didn't, then that might be problematic for them both. He growled as he thought about it, finally realizing the only way he could do this without hurting Ryou anymore. He glared at Mahado, waiting for him to exert his magic to protect Ryou again. As soon as the opening came, Bakura commanded Diabound to attack. While Mahado was distracted, he couldn't fight back hard enough, and soon his spirit had been defeated. This was when things would get tough; if his memory was to be trusted, then Bakura knew now would be the time he tried to fuse himself with his Spirit partner. Before the magician could even get a chance to, Bakura had rushed forward, somehow managing to avoid the swinging blades around him and tore the Millennium Ring from the priest's neck. The shock at being pulled forward so suddenly caused Mahado to fall forward, straight into the trap he had been trying to protect Ryou from.

Bakura was quick in getting back to Ryou and lifting him up, doing his best to avoid the still-swinging blades. He just barely managed to avoid getting hurt, though he did get nicked in a few places. It was nothing too bad, though: a bit of hair, a few cuts on his shoulder... nothing that would get in his way. What worried him the most was the amount of blood coming from Ryou's leg, but that would have to be dealt with when they got outside, away from these traps.

* * *

As soon as they got out, Bakura set Ryou down and took a look at his leg. "Are you okay?" he asked, though he thought he already knew the answer. He hadn't even bothered to put on the Millennium Ring yet; it wasn't the first thing on his mind. It was set to the side for the time being as he inspected the wounds. He didn't know how to treat them properly at all, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to get good help, especially now that they had the Millennium Ring. People were going to recognize that it belonged to one of the priests... but then again, if he used it, then that shouldn't have been a problem at all.

"Can you walk?" He asked, trying to help his Yadonushi up. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You'll need to get actual help for this..." But what could they do? It would be a bad idea to have Ryou walk, and Bakura wasn't sure how far they would need to go to find help. But he couldn't just leave the boy here... He sighed again. "Why did you do this?" He asked. "You let yourself get hurt for me. Idiot... you could have been killed." He wrapped his arms around Ryou. He was grateful, but just the idea that it was because of his mistake that his Yadonushi got hurt... normally, he would have been fine with hurting Ryou; what was so different? Was it because he hadn't caused the pain himself, or he hadn't done it on purpose? Or was it just the inconvenience it presented now?

There weren't many people about now, so for now it would probably be okay to stay here. But they were still outside the tombs... if anyone came this way, like one of the Pharaoh's priests that could be trouble. And it was so far away to go to get to the city for help... things were not looking good. Bakura might have to leave Ryou behind for a while in order to get help as soon as possible, but that wasn't something he was very keen on doing.

A thought occurred to him, suddenly. "I wonder... can you summon a Ka of your own? Like my Diabound..." As if on cue, said spirit appeared behind Bakura, looking down on the two white-haired boys. It didn't move at all, seeming to be awaiting a command. If Ryou could summon one on his own, then it might not be as bad for Bakura to leave him for a while... or maybe it could help them out too.

Ryou was pondering hard when he heard of the name of the creature beside them. He looked like the one in the scroll he saw in the museum. The boy looked at the thief with a rather confused look on his face. What exactly was he talking about when he said that he should summon a creature? Was the thief planning on leaving him? His eyes trailed downwards as he looked rather disappointed. He did not care as to how messed up his leg looked as of the moment but he did not want to be separated from the said thief. However, the boy could only nod upon hearing the pseudo-command given by the thief. "I can try," he whispered, eyes closing as he tried to concentrate within him. He was trying to think as to what kind of creature he would be- probably a dragon or something with wings, right? The boy simply searched for something- anything that would help him further understand this situation. Soon enough, he felt as if his heart was warming up, placing a hand on his chest. An image of a woman started to form beside him, a woman who distinctively looked like one of the Duel Monster Cards from his time.

The boy quickly opened his eyes, eyes wide open before tilting his head to the side in a comical gesture. He was expecting a creature- something that looked as intimidating as Diabound- but no, it was an image of a woman clad in different layers of clothing. He parted his lips a little, regarding this card. He saw it in one of the different cards in Yuugi's Game Shop and he was sure that this monster was not even an attack-type of monster. "The forgiving maiden," he whispered out, trying to remember the benefits of this card. He knew that this card was an effect card with high defense points but he just could not remember the effect of the card. Ryou quickly scratched his head before blushing furiously, "I-I can take care of myself. Go on and get some help or something," he whispered reluctantly as he looked away. Seeing Ryou's disappointed and upset look made Bakura think twice about leaving him so suddenly. He was in a land that he didn't know, and that alone was risky, but there were also the hidden dangers of said land all around them. Things may have seemed fine now, but that didn't mean they wouldn't change. As much as he wanted to take Ryou with him, he knew it would be unwise to do so. Moving him around might just make things worse... at least now he had something to defend him. Bakura debated leaving Diabound behind at first, but realized that if things go bad for him he would need his own means of defense. It wasn't like anything was going to come and attack Ryou... right?

"I won't be long. Just let me know if anything happens," He said before turning and walking off. He had picked up the Millennium Ring, too, and carried it in his hand by the cord. He couldn't shake the lingering feelings of unease and regret he felt at walking away, but tried to reassure himself anyway. It didn't work very well.

Ryou could not help but look at his leg once more, noticing that the bleeding was not stopping at all. He took off the headpiece that he was wearing and wrapped it around his leg in an awkward position. He knew that he had to stop the bleeding before he loses too much blood. It was not as if blood transfusion was already famous at this point in time. Such move proved to be fatal on his part for he suddenly heard horses coming to his direction. The boy quickly looked up as the guards stared down at him, utterly shocked with the fact that the boy had white hair.

"Is he the thief king?"

"No, he does not look like he can cause harm to anyone!"

"But his hair is quite odd, don't you think?"

"We better take him to the High Priests! He might have some unbelievable Ka!"

"But look! Isn't that his Ka right there? It doesn't even look like it can cause any destruction!"

Ryou tried his best not to listen in their conversation, mostly because it made him feel worse about the monster beside him. The Forgiving Maiden was certainly not an occult type of card so it was something that was not familiar to Ryou.

Suddenly the guards started to make their way towards him when Ryou stood up and backed away a little. His back hit the stone wall, causing him to close his eyes. "W-What do you want from me?" he asked, knowing that he had to stall them as much as he could. His eyes shifted around, trying his best to locate the thief king. _'He'll be here! He's already coming back!'_ he told himself. He was about to be tackled to the ground when the Forgiving Maiden defended him from the said soldiers. The boy squinted a little before smiling widely when he saw a figure on a horse making its way towards them already. However, the gods were not on Ryou's favor for it turned out to be Shada along with Karim and Isis. The soldiers were already thrown away from the said boy for the Forgiving Maiden's defense was impenetrable for them. Karim summoned his own Ka, the Helimai, and it easily defeated the boy's Ka. Ryou could not help but scream in utmost pain upon the destruction of the monster, collapsing at the spot. Shada dismounted his horse before walking towards the boy, "We better get him to the pharaoh. He looks too identical to the thief king," the keeper of the Millennium Key said before they whisked the boy back to Thebes, capital of Egypt.

* * *

Not more than half an hour later, the thief king could see the city looming ahead of him. Ryou hadn't tried to contact him through their re-established mind link yet, so hopefully things were okay on his end for now. It wouldn't be much longer before he was back there with the help that he needed... and, sure enough, he had found help soon after getting into the city. Of course, he had to pay the Healer well (and do his best not to threaten his life), but it had been worth it. Bakura couldn't take said Healer with him, but he had been given a cure that should have worked. He remembered having to use it himself on occasion, and though it did take some time to heal wounds, it would take even longer without it. And they could always come back for more if it was necessary.

Soon enough, he could hear thoughts that didn't belong to him passing through his mind. It wasn't hard to figure out that something was happening to Ryou, and Bakura immediately started running. He automatically assumed the worst, thinking that it was likely some of the Pharaoh's guards had discovered him, maybe even one of the Priests. Without even thinking, he put on the Millennium Ring in case he would have to use its power. As soon as it was on, a familiar feeling flooded the Thief's entire body and mind. Just thinking that the priests might be with Ryou, hurting him, was enough to fuel his anger, but the Millennium Ring seemed to be increasing it even further, to the extent where he wanted nothing more than to just get there and completely destroy any threat that the Priests created. But even more than that, the urgency to collect the rest of the Millennium Items had returned. The promise of the power they could give him, the idea of getting his revenge... it was all coming back to him far too quickly for him to even comprehend that it had faded somewhat. No, as far as Bakura was concerned, those thoughts and feelings had always been there. Now he just had another reason to hate the Pharaoh and his priests: for hurting Ryou.

* * *

**Preview for Chapter 25: **Zorc Necrophades

The dark lord simply smirked as he looked down on his pawn. The warm vibrant spark in the thief king's eyes were brought out by Ryou; however, upon further musings that were fired up with the lord's manipulation skills, such spark suddenly disappeared. Once more, they were back to their dark bold eyes that held nothing but contempt. The love that flowed through Bakura's veins was no longer there and through this, it would be easier to kill off the young boy.

"Do you know what we do to traitors like that boy? We** kill** them, Akefia. Kill the traitorous boy."


	25. Zorc Necrophades

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Uploading this chapter was a pain in the ass, seriously. I have been trying to upload this chapter for an hour now and the site would not let me upload it. It was **very **frustrating. But I just could not give up, knowing that you guys are waiting for me to upload. If anyone's experiencing the same difficulties, please tell me how you got around it. I just pasted over one of my pre-existing documents. :(

On the lighter note, I'm happy that you guys are enjoying the story so far! But again, things are going to get pretty ugly soon. To the readers who hate Zorc, you guys make me really happy! It only means that we're characterizing Zorc well enough for him to become an effective villain. :) Unfortunately, he would not be leaving anytime soon.

Also, please include my co-writer in your praises. I do not own the plot wholly nor did I write this baby on my own. If I did write it on my own, it would not have been this long or this good. She owns half of the plot and the reason why she's not the one posting here is because she's a little shy about it. :) Help me tell her that she's awesome, yeah? :)

I might not be able to review to the replies soon because my mum is nagging at me to leave the computer so yeah, I'll try to respond to them as soon as possible. Again, we do not own the show. If we did, then Zorc would have been present since Season 2.

I guess I kept you waiting long enough. Here it is!

* * *

**Chapter 25: **Zorc Necrophades

The dark lord was not amused with the situation.

He knew that getting the Millennium Ring would be good for them and it would get things going once more. Akunadin was there to take care of the High Priests so he could easily get the Items. What made him upset was the fact that his pawn was wavering once more. His concern over the young boy truly made him uncomfortable. That was until he heard the inner musings of the said thief. The dark lord's smirk only grew the moment he would hear the thief's thoughts regarding his own revenge. _'It's the fault of that boy as to why he was caught... The boy is weak. We do not need someone like him. He will only hold us down,'_ he said through the thief's thoughts. He knew that Bakura valued something even more than revenge- trust. _'Maybe the boy went with the priests in order to get rid of you... He has done it before, hasn't he? If he truly cares for you, why is he not calling for you right now? Maybe he's already been taken in by the pharaoh, blinded by what the pharaoh has to offer. That idiotic son of Ra has what a petty thief could only dream of having.'_

With every step he took, the feelings of anger and hatred only increased in the Thief King's mind. He was unaware of the fact that it was only the Millennium Ring's dark powers that were clouding his mind; Zorc's thoughts and suggestions were so subtle in his mind that Bakura didn't even notice them slipping in and mixing with his own. There was still doubt in his mind about Ryou being the one to drag him down, however, because so far Ryou had been nothing but beneficial to him... but that had been in Domino City, where Bakura needed him. Here, in Egypt, he was just a burden. Bakura knew what was going on here, knew what he had to do and what to avoid... but Ryou didn't. It would be much easier for him if his Yadonushi wasn't around...

_No... He wouldn't do that._Though Bakura was thinking that to himself, there was enough doubt in his mind from the evil God's suggestions that he didn't really believe himself. For all he knew, that could be true. Maybe Ryou had been having second thoughts about everything after all. It wouldn't be surprising, since he was always second-guessing his own decisions and had even tried in the past to convince Bakura to stop trying to get revenge... but there was only one way to find out.

Not too far from the tombs, Bakura could see a small assembly of guards, presumably the ones that had found Ryou in the first place. The thief's eyes narrowed; he could hardly contain himself for wanting to hurt them. But he had to play it a little bit more subtly than just outright killing them all, right? Besides, he needed one of the horses they were riding to get to the palace faster. Mindlessly slaughtering everything in front of him wasn't going to help matters at all. Instead, he followed them and waited until at least one of the guards dismounted his horse. When he found one, Bakura approached quickly and quietly and pulled him away from his horse and to the ground. He quickly jumped on said guard's mount and laughed. He had already drawn attention to himself with the guard's cry of desperation, so there was no point trying to be subtle anymore. The Millennium Ring began to glow, and almost instantly after it started, the bodies of the other soldiers fell where they were, bodies appearing to just randomly gather injuries, some even tearing apart. Bakura could only grin and laugh; he could feel the Ring's power in his entire being and was finally starting to regain proper control of it. It was just as effective as he remembered - and this wasn't even using its real power to steal souls from their bodies.

Bakura took one last look at his handiwork, laughing contentedly at the bodies strewn about the ground. "Too easy," he hissed in amusement. The King of Thieves kicked the horse he was on, leading it towards the palace as fast as he could go. It felt good to be back in control of the power he had once possessed, and now that he had it back, nothing was going to stop him in killing the Pharaoh and destroying everything he held dear.

The dark lord was clearly pleased with the effect that he was having on the thief king. It was so easy to manipulate the thief- especially with his delusional state of mind. He knew that Bakura was never right in the head after witnessing the death of his family and fellow members of Kul Elna. No, the boy was certain that the only way to avenge the souls of the fallen village was to take it out on the pharaoh and on the rest of the world. The evil god was the picture of genuine amusement as he continued to play with the piece at the palm of his hands. "No? How sure are you that he's not over there now, plotting for your downfall? Maybe he activated the trap on purpose so that it would give him a chance to get away from you," he whispered, now truly talking to the thief king instead of playing as his inner conscience. The dark lord simply scoffed as he shook his head, "Do you really think that the boy would love you? That anyone would be capable of loving someone like you?" he whispered, his voice oozing with venom.

Bakura could feel the uncertainty within him growing. He was fighting with himself, and the part of him that wanted to trust Ryou was slowly losing the battle. Everything he was hearing in his mind was true... though he doubted Ryou was capable of the same kind of self-sacrificing tactics Bakura was perfectly fine with using, it wasn't impossible to see him doing something like that. Ryou always had been a bit of a masochist, considering he enjoyed having the Thief King's spirit around, and even going so far as to allow said spirit to hurt him time and time again... a small trap like that was nothing after having his own arm slashed open and his hand being impaled on a game piece. It was even less compared to the emotional damage that had been done to him.

Even worse was the feeling of doubt in himself. Bakura knew that he didn't deserve being loved by the boy, and now that he thought about it, he was surprised that he had deluded himself into trusting his Hikari and believing that Ryou actually did genuinely love him. "No... He couldn't. Nobody could. I'm part of the darkness... and that's all I will ever be." He was destined to be a denizen of the shadows, nothing more. Alone, unloved, something he had accepted the moment that he had decided to kill the Pharaoh and get revenge for his village. He didn't need any distractions - all he needed was power, enough to destroy the Pharaoh and complete his revenge.

Soon, the evil god noticed that they were already at Thebes, heading for the castle. Thankfully, Diabound had already absorbed some of the powers of the monsters that it had defeated- along with the Shadow Ghoul. They were already invisible when they stepped in the palace. Everything was falling in place- especially because Ryou was slowly slipping from his self control as well. He knew that having that fake impersonation of Shadi would help win the boy over. The dark lord smirked as he looked down on his pawn. The warm vibrant spark in the thief king's eyes were brought out by Ryou; however, upon further musings that were fired up with the lord's manipulation skills, such spark suddenly disappeared. Once more, they were back to their dark bold eyes that held nothing but contempt. The love that flowed through Bakura's veins was no longer there and through this, it would be easier to kill off the young boy.

"Do you know what we do to traitors like that boy? We** kill** them, Akefia. Kill the traitorous boy."

As the meeting inside was going on, outside things were slowly starting to fall apart. Though it was true that Bakura was unseen by any of the guards, they could still hear his footsteps, and whenever one got too close, they would suddenly just drop where they were. Right now Bakura was too blinded by hatred to even care about being subtle; and besides, the more people that fell before him, the lower the chance was that he would be caught before reaching the Pharaoh. So ultimately, he just disposed of every guard and soldier he happened to see. They had no value to him, after all, and they had aligned themselves with the Pharaoh anyway. He had no pity for any of them.

Soon the vast majority of the outside guard had fallen, many of them into pools of their own blood. Bakura was still not satisfied by this, though. It wasn't enough. How many people had he watched die in Kul Elna? It was nowhere even remotely close to the amount that had died here. And none of these deaths had been satisfying, anyway. They were all nameless, faceless nobodies to Bakura. He wanted people that mattered to suffer: the Pharaoh and his priests, not some lowly guards. But it didn't matter, because they would all fall soon enough. Bakura's eyes narrowed and a dark grin appeared on his face.

"H-heh heh... Kill him? But where would the fun be in that? He betrayed me. It would be much more fun to have him suffer a little more for that. But first things first..." He looked ahead of himself, to the front doors of the palace. It wouldn't do to just come in through the front door... no, a thief had to be more creative than that. Besides, it would be fairly obvious if the doors to the palace opened and nobody could be seen what exactly was going on. Bakura would just have to find another way in. If he happened to find Ryou along the way... that was just all the better for him.

* * *

After a long ride, the priests finally arrived at the palace, where they were met immediately by the holder of the Millennium Rod. Seth gave them a quick look over, noticing that nothing seemed to be out of place, but paused when he got a good look at the person they had brought along with them. He looked so strangely familiar, but in more than one way. After hearing the explanation of why the boy was brought here, Seth simply scoffed. "No, the Pharaoh is resting right now. I'll take him to another wing to keep him, and in the morning we'll introduce our new friend to the King." He took the boy by the wrist, leading him along through the vast hall, until he realized that said boy was limping. Seth was not happy about this, but he picked the boy up anyway to carry him to a more appropriate keeping place. It was a small area that he had prepared in advance, though not for Ryou at all. Until he found the person that this space had been prepared for, the boy could stay here. Perhaps he even knew something - and if that pale skin and hair were anything to go by...

He put the boy down before a door, opening it calmly and nudging him to go inside. "Rest here," he said curtly. "I'll bring someone in to look at your leg, and then I want to ask you some questions. Don't even try to avoid answering them."

Seth gave a quick nod, and then retreated, closing the door behind him as he went. For now, the boy would just have to wait. He would be back momentarily with help. Before he actually went to get the help, however, he stopped Shada as he passed by said priest. "Who is that boy and why did you bring him here?" He demanded. He looked agitated, but wasn't about to explain why. Seth was overall just very curious about their new 'prisoner.' Even if he had to resort to more unpleasant methods of interrogation, he would get his answers. "He looked different and he was found near the tomb of the former pharaoh. Even if he is just a civilian, he should not have been wandering around the desert." The keeper of the Millennium Key shifted his gaze before shaking his head, "And our fellow comrade has fallen. Mahado has passed away."

After his brief talk with Shada, Seth still didn't have the answers he wanted, though at least now he knew why they had brought the boy here. All that was left to do was talk to him now. That was exactly what the High Priest intended to do now. He passed by Isis as he approached the room where he had put the boy, giving her a curt glance but not saying anything to her. He knew she had been here to treat their 'guest;' but what he was unaware of what the simple chat they had just shared.

* * *

Ryou looked around upon seeing that he was in an unfamiliar place. The room was simple, cramped to be more precise. He sat up, letting his gaze fall on his injured leg. He could not exactly sneak out of the palace with this kind of injury. He could only hope that his lover was nearby, about to rescue him from the hands of the pharaoh.

He then saw Isis enter the room with different herbs at hand. He looked away from the High Priestess, mostly because he felt guilty with what he did to Marik's sister. The boy jumped when she started to tend to his wounds, starting by taking the cloth off of his leg. He could not help but scream in pain the moment she pressed leaves against his wounds. It stung really bad, making the priestess frown at the reaction of the boy. She knew that there was only one thing that only one thing created these types of wounds- Mahado's traps but she did not have the heart to think badly about this boy. Utter concern for her comrade was written all over Isis' face but she continued dressing his wound. Soon enough, his leg was bandaged, he was given new clothes to wear, and he was just over all better. Unfortunately, the servants thought that the boy was actually a woman so at that point in time; Ryou was dressed in a woman's attire.

The boy could feel the heat surging to his cheeks- out of utter embarrassment of his situation. Not only did his Ka present itself to be a woman but now, he dressed the part too. It was just too much for Ryou at that time. "I can get other clothes for you if you're not comfortable in these," Isis offered- to which, Ryou declined. He did not want to be indebted to these High Priests, mostly because he knew how Bakura felt about them. At that point in time, thoughts about the thief king flowed in his head once more. Just thinking about him made him feel restless, weak. He felt incomplete. _'Tozokuoh-sama,'_ he said through the link, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"What's your name, boy?"

He pressed his lips together as an attempt to stay quiet. He did not want to blurt out something that would put Bakura in the wrong position. The priestess frowned before caressing the boy's face and stroking his hair. "You were at the tomb of the pharaoh, little one. I know that you were with the thief king; however, I was not able to see you in my vision. In my vision, it was the thief that got caught in the trap- not you," she whispered, making sure that Seth did not hear any of this. She knew that the keeper of the Rod was not completely heartless but just knowing that this boy might be affiliated with the king of thieves was enough for Seth to jump to conclusions. Ryou could not help but lean against the priestess, craving the small amount of sympathy offered. "I know that you are not from here. Don't worry; I know that your intentions are pure as you are innocent. I just fear that the thief king might be back for you soon, little one." The boy bit his lower lip, trying his best not to call for the thief king. As much as he would want to leave, he simply stayed quiet in the priestess' arms.

Seth knocked on the door to announce him, and then entered. It was at that moment that Isis decided to excuse herself, sparing Ryou one last look before finally exiting. The high priest could see that Ryou's wounds had been treated and that he had been given a change of clothes, only this time he was dressed in woman's garb. This threw off the priest momentarily; he saw something even more familiar in the boy and wondered vaguely if he had mistaken his gender, but decided in the end that he didn't really care all that much. Boy or girl, there was still something completely off with the fact that this person was here to begin with.

There was no hesitation from the High Priest, for as soon as he entered the room he began to ask what was on his mind: "Who are you, really?" He demanded. "You're obviously not from around here - but you bear such a resemblance to the Tomb Robber that it can't just be a coincidence we found you outside the previous Pharaoh's tomb." He crossed his arms, waiting for a response he was almost certain wouldn't come. Seth wasn't going to wait too long, however, so he fiddled with the Millennium Rod, enough to show it as being a subtle threat towards the boy in front of him. He didn't really like the thought of using it right now, but if things came to it, he wouldn't hesitate to tap into its powers.

Ryou was shocked, noticing the uncanny resemblance between him and his former boss. He looked away coyly, as if trying to find a place to hide. Gripping on the sheets, he looked up and saw the same cobalt blue eyes. Oddly enough, they were not as cold as he remembered even though Seth was trying his best to be harsh.

"Ryou. I-I'm Ryou," he whispered, purposely leaving his last name out. He did not know what he was supposed to tell the priest but then again, he knew that Seth could easily probe his mind for the answers. "I was looking for my brother. He would usually go to tombs after all. I-I wanted to see if he was there," he stuttered, tears falling free from his eyes as he started to act out. He just hoped that the High Priest was buying this little sob story. "It has been y-years since the last time I saw him. I-I went into the tomb and accidentally tripped on one of the traps. I-I paid my respects to the pharaoh, Shinkan-sama," he whispered, trying his best to act innocent and all that.

The boy continued to sob quietly but those tears were not without reason. He could not help but feel that Bakura left him there on purpose. Maybe the thief really did want to get rid of him. He could not blame Bakura though. As far as he was concerned, he could only give the thief physical pleasure from the time that they reached Egypt. Maybe, this was Bakura's way of telling him that he did not need him anymore.

He was not useful as a host.

The boy looked up, tears trickling down his cheeks. "I-I apologize for causing so much trouble for you and the other High Priests. I-I just thought I could see my brother again. I never knew that it would come to this."

Something about Ryou's story just stuck out as being odd. Rather, the whole thing did. Seth closed his eyes; contemplating everything he was just told. His brother visited the tombs often? How would he know that if they hadn't seen each other in years? Though that wasn't exactly stretching things much. But who in their right mind would willingly go into a tomb just to try and find someone? "Your brother... who is he?" Seth asked. He assumed that this mysterious sibling of Ryou's would have a name at the very least. If his suspicions were true, then that could be very worrying indeed. But this display of tears... it was just so innocent that Seth was inclined to believe Ryou. At heart, he wasn't a bad person; he had high moral standards and was fiercely loyal to them, and tended to go to extremes for his beliefs, but he didn't do anything truly evil out of desire to do it. Even if there were suspicious things about this boy, he couldn't bring himself to violate his mind with the Millennium Rod. For the time being, he had done all he could. Perhaps when he wasn't in so much pain from his bleeding leg, Ryou would be more willing to speak with him?

He turned to leave the room. "Hmph. I'm not finished with you yet, but there will be time to talk later. Rest up for now; I have business to attend to. Someone will bring you up some food soon." He didn't bother to lock the door behind him; he knew Ryou would not be leaving any time soon due to his injuries, and besides that, the boy didn't know his way around the palace. Plus there were guards stationed around this wing to keep an eye on the few people being held here. If anyone got out, they would be put back and placed under even heavier watch.

* * *

Atemu had just woken up from his slumber, bringing the boy closer to him. A small kiss on the shoulder, on his collar, on his neck, before claiming the smaller boy's lips as his. His hands trailed down the other's body, massaging it with so much affection. He knew that the priests would grill him for taking on a male partner- a concubine in their eyes- but the pharaoh did not care. After all, the pharaoh was still a god in their eyes so whatever he says, goes. The pharaoh could not help but groan at the taste of the lithe boy, almost wishing that he could have him for a second time. Unfortunately, said boy was still asleep and he could not take advantage of his kind and loving partner while he was still in such state. "Yuugi..." he whispered in the boy's ear, his voice stained with the need for the boy. He could not even describe the feeling of triumph that he was having. Here was his treasure, secured in his arms. "I hunger for you."

In his sleep, Yuugi shuddered pleasantly. He made small noises of approval, subconsciously enjoying the feelings on his skin even though he wasn't aware of what was going on around him. When he heard a voice, however, that was when he finally started to wake up. His eyes opened slowly and it took him a moment to realize where he was and why he was suddenly so stiff and sore, but when he did, he blushed and smiled coyly._ That's right... my other self... _he looked up to see the Pharaoh gazing lovingly at him. Yuugi immediately wrapped his arms around his Yami's neck, pulling him close and nuzzling into his neck. "It wasn't a dream... that really happened." Even saying that out loud filled Yuugi with more joy than he could have ever expected.

He laughed and kissed the Pharaoh's cheek, completely thrilled with the way his body was shuddering in pleasure. He wasn't sure what it was, but he wanted to be this close to his other self all the time. What they had done before... Yuugi knew it wasn't enough for either of them, and it seemed like Yami was quite eager to do it again. He blushed again and pulled away, suddenly appearing very shy about something or other. "Um... a-about before... that was... I mean, I really..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say. Fortunately a knock at the door interrupted him before he could say something stupid.

"Great Pharaoh, I can hear you speaking in there, and there is something urgent that we must discuss." The voice of Seth carried through the door, sounding rather displeased with something. He was troubled by what he had heard from Shada earlier, and that was what he intended to tell the Pharaoh. Yuugi blushed again, and then moved to gather the clothes that had been discarded earlier. He tossed Yami what was left and dressed him, going to the other side of the room to the only other exit. "I'm going to explore for a bit, okay?" He said. "I'll let you do what you need to. When I come back, maybe we could... play some more?" He smiled, knowing full well that the Pharaoh would know exactly what kind of game Yuugi wanted to play with him.

* * *

In the throne room, Atemu felt rather impatient. He wanted to engage in multiple sessions with Yuugi instead of being carried away by his High Priests. He stretched, feeling some of his muscles snapping back to their usual form. He shifted his gaze at the taller high priest and an even taller headdress, waiting for the other priests to arrive. The pharaoh could not help but laugh, pointing at the headdress, "You look a little silly, Seth. And what's with that gloomy face. It's a wonderful evening! Listen to the crickets and the cicadas look absolutely wonderful! Everything's wonderful!" he exclaimed, almost tempted to sing out his inner happiness. Having his own body was great and all but having his own body _to touch Yuugi with_was a whole different concept. Seth couldn't help but smirk knowingly at the Pharaoh's joy. He had his thoughts about what was going on in his chambers, having overheard both him and another male in the room, but kept his questions to himself. If the Pharaoh wanted to keep company with a boy like that, it wasn't Seth's place to question it. It wasn't as if he'd never thought about it himself, but of course he had kept all feelings of that sort quiet.

When his High Priests finally filed in, the troubled look on their faces alarmed the pharaoh. What scared him more was the fact that someone was missing- the keeper of the Millennium Ring. "Why do you all look so glum? And where's Mahado?" he pointed out, looking for his childhood friend.

Everyone looked away, but Seth was the one to come out with it: "Mahado is dead, my lord." He kept even stare with the Pharaoh, not flinching or pausing at the look of shock written on the King's face. "He was found in your father's tomb by Shada's Ka. It appears that the Thief Bakura is responsible. As of now, we don't know where he is, but we can assume that he has taken Mahado's Millennium Ring with him, as the Ring was not with the body."

Upon hearing the grave news, the smile upon the pharaoh's face simply fell as he stared at his remaining high priests. He was expecting Mana to simply jump out of nowhere and tell him that it was simply a prank promulgated by her but to no avail. He held his head a little, almost tempted to shed tears for the loss of his beloved comrade but simply decided against it. Atemu looked at the priests, who were obviously waiting for his orders. "Deploy more soldiers! Do everything in your power to find that thief! I will have no part of Egypt left unturned! He has killed one of our own and we shall stop at nothing before killing him. I want his head!" the pharaoh's voice echoed in the halls; his tone was painted and stricken with grief. He knew that it was his fault for he should have been more careful with his actions. The Thief King obviously entered this world as well and he did not make the necessary precautions to make sure that his land was safe. No, this would be the last mistake that he was going to make.

* * *

He wandered around a bit, eventually coming across a wing that a few guards were in front of. They let him pass with no problem; they had apparently already heard about Yuugi from one or more of the priests and therefore knew it would be okay to let him in. It wasn't as if Yuugi could do any harm, anyway. But when he went in, the boy was actually surprised at what he found. There were some voices coming from some of the rooms, and a few of them had windows that he could look into. One of them in particular was shocking, as when he looked through the window, Yuugi actually saw one of his friends in there.

"Bakura-kun!" He called out, moving to the door and trying to open it. He was surprised to find it unlocked. "Bakura-kun, you came to this world too? How did you get into the palace?" He was genuinely confused at seeing this. Did Yami know Bakura was here? And come to think of it, did the Spirit of the Ring? Was he hiding out in this world too?

Ryou looked up at the smaller boy that just walked in the room. His expression did not change- a look of sadness and utter despair written all over his face. He saw the glow that Yuugi had- a glow that he saw on his face (or at least, it felt like it at the time) the first time Bakura whispered words of love and adoration for the boy. "I see that you are happy with your pharaoh, Yuugi-kun," he whispered, somewhat foreseeing this outcome.

He knew that Bakura was going to love in the new world created by the dark lord while he, along with everyone else, had to perish in order to accomplish such task. Ryou wanted to feel that reassurance again but unfortunately, questions kept popping inside his head. _'He would never love a weak person like you. He was only pleasing you just so he could use you better. See? The moment you screw up just a little bit, he disposes of you,'_a voice inside his head whispered, causing Ryou's tears to escape once more.

His Yami was correct when he said that he cried too much. Somehow, the boy had a twisted outlook that if he cries hard enough, the thief king would come rushing back in his arms to wipe away the tears. It was the thief king that drove these mad thoughts away. It was the thief king that kept him as sane as he was. Now, it was quite ironic that the same person caused this much conflict within him.

Thoughts sprung up in his head as he held Yuugi's hand, "He hates me doesn't he, Yuugi-kun? I have done nothing but serve him... and love him. W-Why did he leave me?" he asked. Those deep chocolate brown eyes that used to hold warmth and love, now held a different type of emotion. It was already at the point that there were white bits here and there- of paranoia and of insanity. Ryou shook the boy a little before collapsing on the bed once more, "Yuugi-kun... I want him. I want him so much that it is painful not to have him. My heart yearns for him so much so that I feel like I would die without him. Yuugi-kun, I want him. Please... Please..." he whispered, begging to Yuugi as if he was begging to a god.

Yuugi was at a loss for words. He hadn't realized at first just how deep the connection between Ryou and his Yami went, but now it just seemed so painfully obvious. Even if it was one-sided, which Yuugi assumed it was, nobody should have to suffer this much because of someone they loved. And here he was passing judgment on them! He had been the one to help get rid of the Spirit of the Ring because he thought it was the right thing to do! But now he could see that maybe it wasn't. After all, Yuugi knew how he felt about his own Yami; how could he have assumed that Ryou was the total opposite? Sure, Bakura was different from the Pharaoh, but that didn't mean he and Ryou didn't share any positive bond at all. They shared a body... how could they not be close?

The teenager looked at his feet, then sadly back up into Ryou's eyes. "Bakura-kun... please stop crying. I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry. I... I understand how you feel. But I can't get him for you... I can't. I wish I could." He was feeling close to tears himself at this display. He had never known Ryou to be so passionate and heartfelt about anything... he didn't know the boy was even capable of this. But he was.

Yuugi wrapped his arms around Ryou and sat down with him, doing his best to soothe the shaking boy. "I know I'm not your Yami... but I hope that this will help you, at least a little bit." Ryou needed someone to comfort him right now: if it couldn't be the Thief King himself, then he needed a friend. Yuugi could only hope they were still friends after all he had done to Ryou, even though none of it had been on purpose or out of spite.

When Ryou calmed down a little bit, Yuugi sighed. "Is... is that why... you want to kill the other me?" He whispered. "You were helping your other self get the Millennium Items so that you two could... c-could hurt him. Hurt me... and everyone else. Why, Bakura-kun? I know that isn't what you want... do you really love him enough to destroy everything the two of you have?" Yuugi looked down again sadly. He was still holding his friend, but in reality he wanted to cry too. But he had to be strong for Ryou's sake as well as his own. He didn't mean to question the boy or make him go against the Thief King, but Yuugi really was worried about him. He didn't know Bakura all that well and still thought that the thief would readily dispose of Ryou the moment he stopped being useful. But if he could help in any way, then he was certain that he would do his best to.

Ryou kept quiet while the other boy was talking. He knew that the boy had a point- they were being selfish. He was going to rob everyone of their own happiness for his own happiness; happiness that he was uncertain about in the first place. The boy could not help but weep silently, gripping on the smaller boy beside him before parting from him. "Bakura-sama," he whispered to himself, clutching the area of where the Millennium Ring was supposed to be. In truth, their relationship was twisted- evil and rather confusing. He knew that whatever happiness he had would slowly be whisked away when the thief leaves him. His thief did not love him. No, Bakura did not love him. Ryou shook his head lightly, tears trickling down his cheeks. "I'm not doing this just so I could be with Bakura-sama. I'm not even doing this for the sake of his own revenge. No, I'm doing it for him, Yuugi-kun. Anything... Anything to make him happy," he whispered, shaking a little as he tried to calm his nerves. The voices in his head still did not cease even after his constant begging.

Hearing everything that Ryou was saying was breaking Yuugi's heart. He knew that Ryou really was in love with the Spirit of the Ring, but he also knew that because of that, they could never be happy. Bakura wanted too much, demanded too much from Ryou... and Ryou was willing to give it to him, even though he knew it would only end up hurting himself. Yuugi did not want to say what he really thought - he knew it would just destroy his friend. But he couldn't deny knowing that Ryou was just a tool to the thief, something to be disposed of. He had never cared about anything before, so why start now?

"He does not love you, Ryou. Don't you recall his so-called term of endearment for you? He calls you host- like a parasite would do to its vessel. You are simply an item that has worn out its use. He does not have to go through all the trouble of pleasing you, weakling. He is the Great Thief King! Why would he want someone like you when he can have the world?" the evil lord whispered in the boy's ears. The dark lord was actually thankful for their established mind link. It was easier for him to manipulate the boy that way. "Do you really know what would make him happy? One that would make his heart burst in pure happiness? Your death and knowing that you will no longer weigh him down," the dark lord mused, holding back a sarcastic laugh. Ryou, at this point in time, was shaking tremendously. "No, he loves me! He loves me! Yuugi-kun, he loves me doesn't he?" he asked out of desperation but when he could not hear any words leaving the smaller boy's lips, Ryou pushed him off and he started to run off.

On the contrary, Yuugi was crying out in shock when he was pushed away from his friend. "Bakura-kun? Bakura-kun, w-what's going on?" He sounded nervous, and it wasn't at all surprising. Something was definitely happening to Ryou, but he couldn't even begin to fathom what it was. He just got up and followed after Ryou, doing his best to keep up despite the guards pushing him back every now and then.

At that point in time, the evil lord was leading him to the different entrance- the entrance that the High Priests would use. He was panicking, trying his best to leave the palace. He could not stay here anymore. He had to find him. The sting from his reopening wound was no match to the mental stress the dark lord was inflicting on him. When the guards suddenly dropped out of no-where, Ryou whipped his head to look at the cause only to have his eyes fall on his beloved thief king. His knees buckled as he dropped to the floor. The boy's eyes were brimming with tears of relief, but his heart was laced with doubt. He ordered his feet to move- to run towards the thief king. However, he only had enough strength to move towards him in a sluggish pace, collapsing in his arms. "Tozokuoh-sama!"

In Ryou's perspective, they looked perfect; two lovers finally meeting each other after such a separation. But Yuugi saw things differently. There was Ryou, collapsed in the arms of what Yuugi could only assume was the King of Thieves. He had never actually seen Bakura's past self before, not even in his other self's memories or anything at the museum. But he did bear a striking resemblance to Ryou... even if he was taller and built differently. But the one thing that stood out as being vastly different were his eyes - dark purple, narrowed and angry, as if he were ready to hurt or kill anything that came at him.

Yuugi froze. He hadn't been seen by the thief yet, but he knew he would have to do something soon. Bakura had lifted one of his hands to come into Ryou's hair, a gesture that would have been affectionate if he hadn't grasped so hard. He pulled the boy away from him, glaring strongly. Though he could feel some of his anger and hate fading away, the dark god's influence on his mind had been so great already that Ryou couldn't outweigh it right away. "Ryou... you betrayed me," he hissed. A wave of sadness came over him, suddenly, from the regret he felt at leaving the boy behind. But there was still the ever-present insistence in his mind that he had to do something, anything, because Ryou had still gone against him and come running to the Pharaoh...

He was just about to lash out against the boy when he caught sight of Yuugi. Said boy was running towards them, grabbing on to Ryou and trying to pull him away. "Get away from him, Ryou!" He shouted, but of course Ryou wasn't going to move. Instead Bakura's eyes were fixed on Yuugi causing a flash of pain to wash over his features. Ryou's eyes flicked over at what was happening, frowning at the scene. No, he did not feel sorry for Yuugi. Instead, he felt rather… jealous of the attention that he was getting. Why was the thief sparing him the attention that he was supposed to receive? At that moment, Ryou was shoved off so that the thief would be able to pursue the Millennium Puzzle keeper instead.

He laughed as he wrapped a hand around the boy's neck, watching him squirm and shout. "H-help!" Yuugi tried to yell. "R-Ryou... Oth-other me! Help...!" Yuugi attempted to claw the thief's hand away from him, but to no avail. He was too physically strong... _O-other... me... help!_ By now, Yuugi was running out of breath and slowing his motions. At this rate, it looked like Bakura really was going to end up killing him.

The thief king only laughed uproariously. "That's it, Yuugi! Scream and yell for your precious Pharaoh! There's nothing he can do now but watch as his beloved _vessel_ is taken from him right before his eyes!"

* * *

**Preview for Chapter 26:** Ka.

Bakura's vision was blurring and swimming before him. His breaths came out in slow, ragged pants; he knew that soon this fight would be over as soon as his Ka faded away completely... and he would not emerge victorious. But that didn't make him want to stop; if anything, it fueled his hatred even more. To think that he could die here without even coming close to achieving his goal... and now that Diabound had been defeated, there was nothing left that he could do...

But no, it wasn't over yet. Seemingly out of nowhere, he seemed to get his energy back. His Ka was reforming, taking on a slightly different appearance.


	26. Ka

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Here's a little message from my beloved co-writer, Chiba-kun:

_"Hi everyone! I know I haven't really given much of an impression on this story, since starrrrii's doing most (...all?) of the work, but I just wanted to let you all know that I really appreciate all of you, and want to thank you for sticking with this story. And I especially want you to know how much it means to read your reviews! Yes, I have been keeping up with them with every new chapter. Reading them makes my heart swell! So thank you so much!_

_I want to give an even bigger thank you to starrrrii herself! She really is amazing, doing all this editing work and updating the story when she's so busy with her home life, too. So all of you, make sure to send her your appreciation too!_

_Lastly, I just want to say that I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have about our story, and even just chat with whoever wants to. I'm actually really friendly, you know, so feel free to drop a PM to me anytime and engage me in conversation! I hope that you all continue to enjoy Love Me So Tender as much as I have, and still do. Thank you once again for reading and reviewing!"_

When you get the urge to visit her page, you can check her and her works out by clicking the link in my profile! :)

In other news, I just want to apologize because I have not been able to post anything for the last 24-or so days. I just want to apologize to the readers that have been waiting for so long for this chapter. In my opinion, this chapter was more action compared to the other ones so I had a hard time keeping up with it. I have been drowning in heaps of college things and I just have not had the time to sit down and edit things. So yeah, you can thank the storm in my country for this update.

Please be reminded that we do not own the characters of the show. We just own the plot and the smut of it. xD Speaking of smut, we'll be seeing some of it soon! :) I just hope that I can make speedier updates this time around. Enjoy reading and please leave a review afterwards! We want to know how you like the story so far. :)

The long wait is over for here comes chapter 26. (CUE LIGHTS AND DRAMATIC MUSIC).

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**Chapter 26:** Ka.

As soon as the pale boy had started moving around, a few of the guards had abandoned their posts to go and warn Seth about what was going on. Even more had joined them now, barging in on the Pharaoh's meeting with his priests and shouting about what was going on. Immediately, Seth led the other priests and Atemu himself to where Ryou was being held. He knew the Pharaoh was agitated not only by Mahado's death, but something else as well. He had seen a sudden look of shock pass over their king's face, though he didn't know it was from worry over his Hikari's thoughts. When they reached the wing where he had left Ryou, laughter could be heard. "That voice...! It's unmistakable, my lord, it's the Thief King!"

Seth continued along with the Pharaoh, the other priests were right behind, and when they reached the actual location of the King of Thieves, said thief was still laughing. He caught sight of the Pharaoh approaching and let go of Yuugi, throwing him against the wall. A sickening noise could be heard, and some blood had been left on the wall where Yuugi had been hit. Fortunately, Yuugi was still alive, though the lack of air had knocked him out. Bakura hadn't noticed that he hadn't actually killed the boy yet because of the Pharaoh approaching. He cackled as he gazed at Atemu. "How nice of you to join us, Pharaoh!" He greeted loudly, voice dripping with venom. "I'm afraid you're a little late, though. You've missed most of the fun."

At the same time, Ryou could feel his heart break the moment he was shoved towards the wall. He could feel the pain slowly crawling at every part of his skin at the sudden realization that those hands- the hands that cared for him and comforted him were now the same hands hurting him. He did not even notice the priests, along with Atemu, enter said wing of the palace. His eyes were glazed over with tears that would not be shed. He just could not take the utter sadness- the utter grief of knowing Bakura was simply leaving him there. Of course, Ryou entertained the idea that Bakura was just using him- constantly. However, a little voice inside his head persisted that the thief king truly loved him- or at least cared enough not to play with him that way. Ryou looked serene- an uncomfortable air surrounding him. He did not notice the conversation happening between the thief and the pharaoh. His eyes were simply fixated at the back of his beloved thief king- the thief king that was simply throwing him away like garbage.

_'There's a spirit that resides in the Millennium Ring. A spirit of a tomb robber that wants to destroy the world and at the same time, it is a spirit that has been controlling you for years already.'_

_'Bakura has a habit of disposing things that he does not really need. Soon enough he will dispose of you too, Ryou. Why do you trust him this much? And don't tell me you love him. How can you love someone like him?'_

_'As long as you're trying to take the Tomb Robber away from the dark lord, you would be consumed with great grief.'_

Ryou shook his head as the voices kept on echoing inside his head. No, his thief king loved him... right? Doubt and other dark thoughts started to swirl around in his head- a perfect spot for the dark lord to fill. His thoughts started go fast- to the point that everything was already a blur. He saw the Egyptians summon their beasts- the Diabound looking straight ahead while the snake was looking back at Ryou with concern. It was as if the snake wanted to help Ryou in some way- in any way just so the boy could be happy again. The boy stood up, a little shaky but he noticed that his friend was still on the floor. Grabbing Yuugi, he trudged towards the room that he was previously in, placing the boy on the makeshift bed. He stroked the other's forehead, eyes rather confused. "Yuugi-kun... I'm sorry that you got caught up in all of this. You should not suffer the way I have. But for once, I can't help but want to be selfish. For once, I want something for myself. I apologize, Yuugi-kun. Y-You don't have to forgive me but know that I am ashamed of being selfish- doing something as foolish as this."

He then walked towards the fight, eyes wide open the moment he saw the Diabound change in shape and in size. At the same time, Obelisk the Tormentor was also out, along with Slifer the Sky Dragon. Somehow, Ryou knew that this would be a losing battle for the Diabound- a losing battle indeed. The moment the two Egyptian Gods managed to hit the said beast, the Diabound suddenly disappeared. At the same time, the pharaoh tried his best to stay on his own two feet. Calling the two gods was not an easy thing to do but rage fueled the pharaoh's actions. Ryou gripped on his hand, noticing that the priests were also weary from the Diabound's attacks. His eyes trailed towards his thief king who seemed to be doing as good as the others. "Tozokuoh-sama," he whispered, his Ka suddenly showing out of nowhere. Isis looked up, eyes widening as she remembered what the monster could do. Unfortunately, none of them had the enough power to summon another Ka for they pretty much exhausted everything during the attack.

Bakura's vision was blurring and swimming before him. His breaths came out in slow, ragged pants; he knew that soon this fight would be over as soon as his Ka faded away completely... and he would not emerge victorious. But that didn't make him want to stop; if anything, it fueled his hatred even more. To think that he could die here without even coming close to achieving his goal... and now that Diabound had been defeated, there was nothing left that he could do...

But there was something that Ryou could do.

If Diabound would be called again, then the thief would surely win. If Diabound would be called back, then the thief could extract his revenge. However, it seemed as if Bakura could no longer summon a monster on his own. At that moment, Ryou's Ka started to appear, only to disappear a few moments later. Particles of energy flowed inside the chambers. The white-haired boy could feel a change in his breathing, as if his heart was slowly getting torn out. He was not used to manipulating his Ka and at the same time, Ryou was still injured from the previous battle.

But, the boy did not care.

Just when they had thought that things were done, it seemed that it was not over yet.

The Forgiving Maiden disappeared. The particles then started to form something new- different. Out of nowhere, Bakura seemed to get his energy back. His Ka was reforming, taking on a slightly different appearance. Bakura was completely stunned. He couldn't figure out just what had happened until his eyes fell on Ryou. "Yadonushi!" He cried out. He rushed to the boy's side, ignoring the fighting that was still going on behind him. Every now and then he would flinch in pain or cry out, but didn't once allow his spirit to stop fighting. He was torn between two things: his revenge against the Pharaoh and his need to have Ryou with him. The doubts he had in his mind were starting to fade fast. How could Ryou have done this? And even worse, Bakura couldn't even fathom how he had doubted the boy in the first place. There was still that lingering worry that he had been betrayed and abandoned, something that the thief king feared above all else. That had been why he came here... not to find Ryou, like he had originally intended. Somewhere along the way he knew his motivations had been twisted and warped, but he couldn't even figure out how.

But now he could see more clearly. He knew that Ryou doing this hadn't been the boy's own fault. It hadn't even been because of the Pharaoh, though that damned king did have a part in this too. It had been because of Bakura that all this had happened... and now he was losing the only thing he truly had left, all because of how foolish he had been. And yet he still could not let go of this grudge - now it was only getting worse, because of what he had just witnessed.

"I'm sorry, Ryou. I'm so sorry..." He gave the boy a small kiss on the forehead and then stood up, walking calmly back to where he had been moments ago to face the Pharaoh. He was going to make sure that whatever the price of Ryou's sacrifice was, it would not be in vain. But there was still a small part of him that he knew wasn't as bothered as it should be. He could practically hear the Dark God's thoughts in his mind again, telling him that this was a good thing that Ryou did, that they didn't need him anyway. That was truly scaring Bakura, because he knew it was not true. He loved Ryou, even if it was seemingly impossible that anyone, let alone his Hikari, could truly care for him. But he couldn't dwell on that now. He was so close to winning this fight...

Diabound continued its assault on the Pharaoh's Gods as well was what was left of the priests', until finally nothing was left to stop him from taking what he needed. He hadn't killed them all off yet, perhaps because he still just wanted the Pharaoh to see what would happen when his world was drowned in darkness. Bakura did not hesitate in moving forward, tearing the Millennium Puzzle from Yuugi's neck and sneering down at him. "You've lost, 'Great Pharaoh.' But the game isn't over yet... I want you to watch until the bitter end. There's still so much you haven't paid for, and your debt is only increasing."

It was too easy, taking the last of the Millennium Items from the priests. As soon as he got them, he walked back over to where Ryou was lying, kneeling down beside him and holding him close. He wasn't sure exactly what he could do to help, but knew that at least trying to do something was necessary. The Millennium Ring started glowing in response to Bakura's will, and hopefully any energy he could spare would transfer to the boy.

* * *

Atemu rather pathetic as he stood up, crying out to the sky. His energy was drained and he did not know what to do anymore. The thief had gotten away with the items and who knows what he will do to them. He turned to look at Seth; his most trusted High Priest, before glaring at him. "Go after him, Seth. Find him. I want his head presented to me when Ra rises again," he muttered before walking to the room that Yuugi was in. He looked at the boy, distraught as he wrapped his arms around him. "I-I'm sorry Aibou. I will fix this. I will not let harm fall upon you again," the pharaoh murmured before carrying the boy in his arms. If only he did not leave Yuugi; If only he had asked Yuugi to stay in their room, then things might have ended differently. His eyes narrowed in contempt of the thief when they reached the pharaoh's chambers. He tucked the boy in, hand going through Yuugi's hair before pressing his lips against the smaller boy's lips. "Rest well, Aibou."

When Yami made his way to Yuugi, the boy was slowly waking up. It felt like his head was exploding from the pain he felt, and there was definitely a bump on the back, if not a few bruises. He blinked wearily up at his Yami, and then wrapped his arms around him, sobbing quietly. "Yami... we're doing something terrible." Yuugi's small frame shuddered as he sobbed. "I... I saw Bakura-kun before the Spirit of the Ring showed up... and I know why he's helping the Spirit. Yami, they're no different from us. Bakura-kun is... in l-love with the Spirit. He doesn't even c-care about himself anymore! He's willing to put everything on the line for his Yami! That's why he ... he w-wants to..." He couldn't even finish that sentence out loud. _That's why he wants to kill us... kill you. We took away everything from both of them, and he just wants to help his Yami get his revenge. _

The boy continued to shake and sob, ignoring the pain shooting through him at every little twitch his body made. His shoulder was the worst part; it had been where he had hit the wall, and the bleeding was only just stopping there. "I can't do it. I c-can't hurt Bakura-kun like that... isn't there a way to help him without hurting him?" He really did doubt it... and he still was under the impression that Bakura would readily abandon his host if necessary. He was trying to hurt him earlier! Yuugi was torn between wanting to make Ryou happy and helping him from something he knew would only end up hurting him later.

Before he could do anything else, however, he noticed that the Millennium Puzzle was missing. "It's gone!" He exclaimed, breaking into a new fit of tears. Somehow, he felt as if this was his fault. If he hadn't been so weak, hadn't put his other self in danger, maybe none of this would have happened.

Atemu could simply nod as he listened to his partner. Nodding did not specifically mean that he was agreeing to everything that he was saying. After all, if he were to simply let Bakura go then the present world would also be put in danger. "Aibou... You need not worry about these things. I am personally taking care of it. If you keep on worrying like that your fragile heart might break. Please, Aibou. Understand that I'm not only looking out for my people but your generation as well," he whispered, running his fingers through the sobbing boy's hair. He did not have the heart to tell Yuugi what Zorc was capable of. He did not have the heart to tell Yuugi that Bakura did not only want the pharaoh dead but instead, all of mankind to perish. He narrowed his eyes at the boy before smiling, pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss. "I will never let anything happen to you again, my love. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe and by my side. Call it selfishness if you will, Aibou, but please. Let me succumb to my desires for you."

Yuugi sighed contentedly as his Yami kissed him. It just felt so right and natural... it was instantly soothing. He pulled away, grunting a little bit in pain. He so desperately wanted to allow the Pharaoh to succumb to his desires, just as he wanted to succumb to his own, but he was in far too much pain right now to even try. He frowned and reached up with his good arm to caress Atemu's cheek. "I trust you, Yami. I know you'll do what's right, and I'll do whatever I can to help you. I love you. But I can't... I can't do anything with you right now. I want to, so much... but..." He was still sore from their earlier session on top of the pain that Bakura had inflicted on him. But after staring into his Yami's eyes for a moment longer, Yuugi couldn't find it in him to care. He smiled and laughed, pulling the Pharaoh down into another deep kiss and wrapping his arms around his neck.

He smiled and laughed, nuzzling his other self affectionately. He could and would endure this pain and any other for his Yami. "I trust you. Do whatever you want to me... Do everything and anything you want to me. I love you, Yami... and I want you, too."

* * *

Ryou could feel himself slip through the other's fingers, feeling his life force slowly drain away from his body. True, his soul was not entirely tangled with his Ka but he felt as if his entire being was devoured by the monster. Could it be that the Diabound was the real representation of his darkness' soul?

Suddenly, he felt something warm- something different flowing inside him. His eyes lids fluttered for a moment, eyes slowly opening into a hazy world. While everything seemed to be in complete disarray, there was something that just pulled Ryou back- a pair of deep lavender eyes full of love and immense sadness. His thief was... sad. He lifted a hand up to his cheek, taking in slow deep breaths as he caressed the thief's cheek. "W-Why are you sad?" he asked, lips turning into an awkward smile. He could feel energy surging back into his system and for a few brief moments, he felt as if nothing else mattered- it was as if everything else could burn into ashes and he still would not mind. "Bakura-sama," he whispered, a tint of pink slowly creeping on his cheeks. He was being held once more by the thief that he wanted.

Before Ryou could even speak further, he felt as if he was getting carried away from the palace and towards a horse nearby. His eyes were wide open in horror at scene in front of the palace. Bodies and blood were sprawled all over the grounds of the Egyptian palace. "You came back for me. You came back for me, right?" he whispered, sounding almost insane right now. After all, he did not care if the thief pushed him away like that. He must truly be insane if he held the thief as close as he did right now.

Bakura did not respond to anything Ryou said to him as they traveled through the desert. In truth, he was starting to feel his mind become clouded again, this time not just from the influence of the Millennium Items, but his own doubt. He hadn't actually gone back with the intention to help Ryou - he was horrified to realize that he had the intent to kill him. Maybe it would have been better if Ryou wasn't here at all. That way he wouldn't have had to witness any of that or risk his life for someone that shouldn't have mattered to him anyway.

The horse galloped into the Egyptian desert, Ryou getting a little dizzy from all the movement. "Where are we going?" The sceneries were familiar to the white-haired boy, though Ryou knew that he has not been there before. It took him a few seconds to realize that they were on their way towards the thief king's village- or at least, what was left of it. When they finally reached the rundown village, Ryou noticed that all that's left of Bakura's village were a bunch of stones here and there. The boy got off of the horse, leg feeling slightly better than before. He wanted to ask what Bakura meant by the boy betraying the thief. But at the same time, he knew better than to ask about it, at least with the present circumstances.

He remained silent even as they dismounted the horse and walked through the village. He supported Ryou when needed, but other than that tried to keep his distance somewhat. Only when the remnants of Kul Elna's inhabitants began flitting about and coming close did Bakura speak up. "Don't bother him," he told the ghosts as the swarmed Ryou. Many of them seemed to be very curious about the other person with their only surviving family member, but just as the thief king asked, they stayed away and only watched in silence. They didn't all follow as Bakura went into the underground temple where the stone slab was located to place the Millennium Items.

He paused when it came time to put the Millennium Ring in its slot, but he did take it off. Something didn't seem right, all of a sudden - like he should have waited a little longer to start placing the Items, but that wasn't all. There was something else, but he couldn't place it. He beckoned Ryou to come closer to him, taking the boy's hand and draping the Ring over his neck. "I want you to wear this for a while," he said, not bothering to elaborate on why. There was something he wanted to see for himself - he needed proof, because things were suddenly starting to become clear to him. But even if he was right, the Thief King couldn't say for sure that it would change much. He did feel a tinge of guilt for using Ryou to test his theory, but it wasn't possible to use him and there was nobody else around. If things got out of hand, he could always stop things as soon as they became troublesome.

"We're not finished yet," he whispered to Ryou. "This is only the beginning."

The white-haired boy frowned when he noticed that the thief was still acting cold. He thought that everything would be fine. He truly wanted to know that he was ready to sacrifice his own life for him- call it a major bluff if you will. Soon, they reached the tablet similar to the one in Domino City. It was more complete than the one in his father's museum- as if it had just been made a few years back. His eyes narrowed a little the moment he saw the thief drape the Millennium Ring on his person, gasping lightly. "N-No," he stuttered before the voices returned to haunt him once more. The voices continued to torment him to the point that he was already crying, begging for the voices to stop. However, the dark lord was relentless, simply increasing the level of torture that he was instilling on the boy.

The boy's body hung limp, looking as if he was about to collapse when he started laughing. He was laughing very eerily, to the extent that he sounded more sinister than Bakura if that were possible. The boy simply smirked and then looked at Bakura, eyes deep silver as he did. Even the Shadows did not dare go near the boy when he suddenly changed. Though Bakura was growing uneasy at the way Ryou was begging and pleading to thin air to make some sort of voice stop, Bakura knew that he couldn't just end what was going on yet. There was still so much he needed to figure out, and slowly he was getting a clearer picture of it. Only when Ryou's body went limp did the thief finally seem satisfied. "So it was you," he murmured to himself. In spite of how dangerous his situation was looking, Bakura couldn't help but smirk. "How clever of you, Lord Zorc, trying to put me against him the way you did..."

The dark lord fixated his gaze on the thief king, caressing his cheek a little. His smirk never faded as he made his way towards the large tablet, sitting on it. "So this is the boy that you are so fond of, Akefia," he muttered, seemingly disgusted by it. The boy was easily manipulated and he showed his weaknesses half of the time. He acted without thinking things through and he would often blurt out things that would make the thief king waver. Such weaknesses were not needed by the dark lord at all. He looked up, smirk only growing, "We still need to get the Millennium Eye but that is not much of a problem. Akunadin's practically kissing my feet in adoration. We still have one thing to fix though, Akefia. We need Seth. He has a connection with the dragon that can defeat even Ra."

The dark lord looked at his own features- noticing the frail hands and overall stature of the boy's body. "Well this is interesting. I never knew that this is your type, Oh Great Thief King. Tell me, how does the boy taste like? I saw how you would grin in pleasure every time his face is painted with grief. Whenever he shouts your name while releasing all of his pent-up desires for you, your body would shake uncontrollably. What kind of spell has this boy placed on you?" the dark lord said slowly, eyes narrowing down on the thief king. It was as if he was threatening the thief king to know the right answers. The dark lord knew that Ryou would perish the moment their world would come into the open but the thief king did not need to know that- not now at the very least. Heck, he could simply blame it to the pharaoh that Ryou would be dead by then. Ah yes, the pharaoh still had some darkness inside him- manipulating him into the equation would surely make revenge feel ten times sweeter.

Bakura crossed his arms and eyes the boy's form, finding it slightly odd to be talking to Ryou's body but not to Ryou himself. He chuckled lowly. "Though I don't think it's stretching it to say he's the entire reason we've gotten this far. Without him I wouldn't have gathered all the Millennium Items in the modern world... and without doing that, we wouldn't be here, would we?" He knew he was walking a very thin and dangerous line. One wrong step and he could end up dying before he was ready. But even Zorc couldn't deny Ryou's usefulness.

"I will admit, Lord Zorc, that I have gotten attached to my little plaything..." He hated calling Ryou that, but it was necessary at the moment. He wondered if the boy could hear him and desperately hoped he couldn't. "I never once envisioned just how deeply this game would run... but I can assure you that he will never get in the way of my goals - our goals. Could you not permit me one thing to please myself with, even if only briefly? Or can I take this as you being - dare I say it - jealous? My Lord, do you want me all to yourself?" He leaned back against the wall, ignoring the few ghosts that continued to dart around him. He didn't even flinch when some of them brushed up against his skin, though it did make him feel suddenly cold. But right now, Bakura was too amused with his self-imposed 'game' that he didn't care. He moved forward, still smirking deviously.

"If that's the case, my lord, then what are you even doing in the boy's body? Aren't I a much more suitable vessel for you? As you say, he is weak... certainly not a quality befitting of you." The King of Thieves reached out, touching the outside of the Millennium Ring with his fingertips and running them along the perimeter. He was caressing said Item, leaning in close and practically leering at the dark god. One simple jerk of the hand and the Ring would be off of Ryou. Zorc would have no power over him if there was no contact made with a Millennium Item.

The dark lord could not help but scoff the moment Bakura started to talk back at him. He disliked it when Bakura started to play with him like this and he disliked it even more that the thief king seemed to be unfazed by it. The evil god could not help but raise an eyebrow the moment he heard what Bakura was saying. He was quite confounded as to how Bakura became such a compulsive liar even to his own 'master'. He felt that the thief king was slowly holding the Ring, as if waiting for the right moment to take the Ring from the dark lord. He simply held the Ring as well, grinning at the tan Egyptian. "But of course I want you for myself. Why do you think that I'm even enduring this body right now?" the dark lord licked his lips a little before pulling away from the thief king, swaying his hand around as if to push the thief king away. "I will lose my power if you do take the Ring off of me; however, a part of me still remains within the boy. He's not as innocent as everyone regards him to be. And my, my. He is rather creative when it comes to you, isn't he?"

The dark lord then stood up, shaking his head a little. "I have got to say that you have truly changed your tastes in the past millennia. What does the boy taste like?" he whispered, pressing the said thief king against the wall. Of course, he would have such a domineering attitude over his beloved subject. Needless to say, Zorc was the epitome of darkness and of sin- which also included lust to a certain degree. He pressed the thief king against the wall, making sure that a leg was placed in between his, hitting the right spots as one would say. A grin slowly crept up on the dark lord's lips as he noticed the other's reaction. "I must say that I am rather jealous that he thinks that he owns you. I own you Akefia. I have always had and I will always have you," he murmured before claiming the other's lips in a rather twisted kiss. It was not as if the dark lord felt anything for Bakura. Of course he was just using this as a way of releasing his pent-up inhibitions, desires that Bakura would often fulfill.

Bakura could only laugh when Zorc continued to speak of Ryou. Did the god really not know that Bakura was well aware of just how 'innocent' Ryou was? They had shared a body before, after all, and the spirit hadn't exactly been one to respect his boundaries. He had simply responded by agreeing with the dark lord, even going so far as to offer him a taste of what he wanted. Even as Zorc was pleasing himself in Ryou's body, he was asking the thief king what the boy tasted like. Bakura could only retort by saying, "My Lord, I welcome the chance to accept you as a vessel if you truly desire to know what he tastes like."

He was about to have his way with the said thief king when he started to hear a voice inside his head. The dark lord simply smirked the moment he realized that the thief king actually grabbed the Millennium Ring from him already. "Do your job well, Akefia. I'll be watching you." He managed to tear the Ring from his Hikari's neck while Zorc was distracted enough with satisfying himself. When the dark god announced his leaving, Bakura had simply bowed before him. "Of course, Lord Zorc. I am your faithful servant, and always will be. I won't give you any more reason to doubt that." He said nothing else until he knew that it was truly Ryou that was in conscious control of his body. Bakura desperately wanted to say something to him, but he was already under the threat of being watched by the dark god. If he got too intimate or emotional then things would be ended far faster than they needed to be.

It took Ryou a few seconds to come to, his head feeling heavier than it did before. Surprisingly, he noticed that the feeling was just the same as when Bakura would inhabit his body- the times that he would take control of the said boy, only to release him hurt and damaged. The boy took a quick look over at himself before realizing that he was not hurt or anything. He was still in the Memory World and he was still with Bakura. Only this time, the boy did not seem to be able to look at the thief in the eyes. He pried himself off of the thief, eyes fixed on the ground. He did not wish to say anything to the thief and yet the soft voice inside his head simply jeered at him to say something- anything that would lift his spirits up somewhat.

He parted his lips and yet words failed to roll off of his tongue. He did not know if it was because of his fear that Bakura might leave him or the fact that Bakura never really cared for him that way. His thoughts were clouded already and it did not take Zorc's power for his doubt to suddenly increase all of a sudden. He blinked once - twice- before trying to say anything to the thief king. "I feel rather tired," he whispered, trying his best to stop himself from breaking down. _'We're lovers... or at least, that's what I hope we are. What we could be.' __When was the last time that he heard Bakura tell him that he loved his host? Had it really been that long?_Ryou tried to remember the conversation he had with the thief king and yet, that day seemed so distant from today. How could everything go from great- almost perfect- to this in only a matter of hours? Ryou wondered if the gods truly hated him for even harboring such feelings for the thief king. At the back of his mind, he could not help but to fall for the thief king for reasons that he cannot even remember anymore.

The boy failed his brain any way when he suddenly wrapped his arms around the thief king's waist, sobbing softly on his chest. It was quite pathetic actually; Ryou trying to get even the smallest amount of comfort from the person that was trying to push him away. "I hate you... I hate you for making me believe that you love me. For making me believe that you weren't using me... I hate you for making me believe that I was actually special for a change. And yet, I can't hate you. I hate myself for loving you. I hate that my entire life is at your hands and I can't even take back from you. I hate myself for being this weak... For being this stupid for falling for you- for loving you as much as I do. You don't get it do you, Bakura? I _fucking_ love you."

He quickly came up with a plan in his mind, touching Ryou's arm and tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. When the boy gave a quick glance at what Bakura was trying to do, the thief shook the Millennium Ring in his hand, just hoping that Ryou understood what he meant. If not, he still had to be at least ambiguous in the way he spoke. That way Ryou could take what meaning he wanted from Bakura's speech, and Zorc would take what he wanted. It was a delicate balance, one that Bakura wasn't all that happy about having to keep.

"There. That's what I remember - my old Yadonushi, constantly telling me how much he hated me. Whatever happened to that Ryou?" Bakura wondered aloud. He was acting aloof, hoping that he wasn't giving out the wrong message this time. He smirked and leaned down, kissing Ryou's forehead gently and running a hand through his hair. "You've never had a problem with being used before. You jumped at the chance to let me use you."

He pulled Ryou closer, now whispering in his ear: "But what you don't know is _how_I used you. For all you know I may have stopped ages ago... or you could be being manipulated this very second." He wondered if the boy would figure out just what he was getting at here. Hopefully he wasn't crossing any lines that Zorc may have laid out for him. "For all you know, I might genuinely love you too. But you doubt yourself too much, Yadonushi."

He managed to pull himself away for the time being. The thief hated being so cryptic, mainly because he wasn't sure if he was even doing a proper job of it. He highly doubted that he was. He truly did have feelings for his Hikari, but given the circumstances, he couldn't even let him know. At this rate, it looked like he wouldn't even be able to protect Ryou after all. The Thief King sighed to himself, then approached his Hikari again. "I don't know what else to say to you. I can't tell you anything in words - forgive me." He began to kiss Ryou before the boy could protest, slowly and tenderly, with as much emotion as the thief could convey going into the simple action. _Draw from this what you will, Ryou. I have nothing else to say on the matter._

The boy felt the lips on his forehead, the gentle hands in his hair but something felt different- something felt odd. Ryou simply nodded at whatever the thief king said, knowing that the thief king probably did not mean anything that he was saying due to the slight jiggle of the Millennium Ring and yet, he felt as if he just could not fully trust Bakura's words. No, he did not doubt himself. He doubted Bakura and all of the words that he placed in his head. Promises like he actually needed Ryou- like he actually wanted Ryou to stay by his side. Ryou doubted all of the words that he spoke of- words of love and of care and most especially, when Bakura told him that he could not live without the light by his side. Everything was just too confusing and yet, it all made sense to Ryou. As odd as it may sound, the white-haired boy understood the situation that they were in but failed to put things together. From his perspective, the thief king just lied to get what he wanted- well, not exactly lie. The thief king just spoke of half the truth.

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**Preview for Chapter 27:** Tattered Soul

He whipped his head the moment he saw the thief king enter the room, tilting his head as if trying to recognize the sudden intruder in the room. The boy's face was gruesome- eerie indeed for it was carved into a permanent smile. Gruesome cuts were made on his cheeks to make it seem like the boy was always smiling even though he felt as if he was going to lose his sanity anytime soon. From the looks of said soul room, it would not take a lot to cause Ryou to fall in a deep state of insanity. "Bakura-sama?" he greeted, the smile glancing, no _staring_, back at the thief king.


	27. Tattered Soul

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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School is killing me and that is the reason why this has not been updated lately. Also, I'm working on a YGO story that is just killing me at the plotting process. I'm trying to get my friend to ask me with it but I just really want to throw the idea away; if only it did not appeal to me as much as it does. Gah! D:

This chapter is really interesting for me, especially because we get to see more of Ryou and Bakura's progression when it comes to their relationship. Whether it is a step forward or back, I'm not really sure.

As I have stated before, the Egyptian Arc is more sensual compared to the previous one and I am claiming that for a reason. To the people who do not appreciate 'M' moments, they may hate the next few chapters. Just giving you a head's up: I think the next two or three chapters are smut-based. In any case, you can always skip it. Wait until I tell you that it's already safe for the little boys and girls?

I think that's about it! I do hope that you enjoy this chapter. I know I have. :3 We do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of the characters. We just own the plot, the angst, and the smut of it all. Please enjoy reading and review if you have the time!

Please turn off all cellphones and make sure that your hands and feet are inside the vehicle at all times. The chapter starts in:

3

2

Square root of 2

Boisonberry

The letter ^

1

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**Chapter 27:** Tattered Soul.

Ryou pulled the Yami in a dim corner, making sure that it was a place that the Egyptian Sun cannot hit nor was it a place too far from the Millennium Items. He placed the Millennium Ring on himself, shuddering at the cold metal. The boy spoke of nothing with what he was going to do but he knew that they had to talk- even for just a short while. It took him quite some time to fall asleep but the moment he did, the Millennium Item started to glow.

The thief opened his eyes to a familiar area. He was in a corridor, two rooms on each side. Though he knew which way both doors led to, he had only ever visited one of the rooms: his own. But he didn't understand how he could even be here anymore; this was the division between his and Ryou's souls. They didn't even have any use for such a division anymore, seeing as they had separate bodies. What had changed? The king of thieves turned to walk towards his own room just barely pushing the door open when he heard a noise coming from behind him. The door to Ryou's soul room was opened slightly, and he could hear... something coming from there. It unnerved Bakura deeply, but the knowledge that something was wrong was enough to push him in the right direction.

The Millennium Ring did not have the capacity to bring the user in the victim's soul room; however, their connection made such event possible. Ryou's soul room used to be pale blue, dozens of books packed neatly in shelves as a sign of his love for reading. A corner with a small lampshade would be found in the corner, along with some paper if he gets bored. The boy's soul room was neat and organized- similar to his personality.

However, if one would enter Ryou's soul room now, everything was destroyed; books sprawled all over the floor with the different pages torn apart. Only a few floorboards were left, making it almost impossible to move towards the white-haired Hikari. The walls that used to be pale blue were now black. Instead, the walls were covered with writings over writings over more writings. The words were written in different shades of red. In one corner, there sat the boy, cuts all over his body. The physical torture back then was nothing compared to the emotional trauma that Ryou was feeling. The boy's soul room would usually get a little messy after the thief king takes over but the boy was always happy- always beaming with happiness when he repaired the inside of his beloved room. But now, the boy held a quill at hand, pressing it against the wounds and writing more words all over the walls.

Bakura had never been in here before, but this wasn't what he had been expecting at all. It was a mess - something that more closely resembled Bakura's own soul room than it should have. And Ryou seemed bent on only increasing the chaos, using his own blood to continue writing messages on the walls.

He whipped his head the moment he saw the thief king enter the room, tilting his head as if trying to recognize the sudden intruder in the room. The boy's face was gruesome- eerie indeed for it was carved into a permanent smile. Gruesome cuts were made on his cheeks to make it seem like the boy was always smiling even though he felt as if he was going to lose his sanity anytime soon. From the looks of said soul room, it would not take a lot to cause Ryou to fall in a deep state of insanity. "Bakura-sama?" he greeted, the smile glancing, no _staring_, back at the thief king.

Bakura looked away. He did not want to know what was being written, but it was hard to avoid the blaring red of the words on the walls. Only when he heard his name did he look up. He wished desperately he hadn't, though, because this appearance his Hikari was taking on just wasn't right in any sense of the word. It was twisted and warped, just like the state of his room. How the boy was still smiling was impossible to even guess at. Perhaps he really had gone insane... or maybe he had just been like this the entire time and Bakura had never noticed.

"I did this," he whispered. Strangely enough, he was unhappy with what he was seeing. It was true; while he had shared a body with Ryou and even sometime after, the thief king had always wanted to twist his Hikari into a being like this. One that would depend on him completely and would willingly and happily serve him and his dark god. He had gotten in too far, fallen too deeply into his own game that even he wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Whatever it was, it wasn't this - not unless Ryou wasn't alone in this. In a way, Bakura was envious. It was so easy to just give up and let things play out... and in the end, he would be able to let go of everything he had and fall into this same chaotic world as Ryou. They would be there together, lost in their own dystopia, not caring at all that they had nothing left but each other. It was beautiful and wrong... but right now, that was all Bakura wanted: to stay here and help his Yadonushi, or to fall even further into the abyss with him.

Bakura was lead by the Hikari to a certain corner; the only place that was left blue. In the corner, a miniature collection was found – an exact replica of the Millennium Ring and figurines of both Ryou and Bakura. The pieces looked like the ones from his Monster World Game. "Baku Baku..." Ryou whispered.

The dark stared sadly at the two figures in the corner of the room. They seemed to be the only things in this room that were somehow still peaceful and tranquil. "All that's left of our sanity," Bakura whispered. Because even though this was Ryou's soul room, he somehow found it reflected exactly what he was feeling, too. The thief king didn't dare reach out and touch the figurines, just knelt in front of them and gazed at them in a sad, affectionate way. He urged his Hikari to kneel with him too, slowly placing his hand over the boy's. "Baku Baku..." he repeated. The thief's eyes closed, only to open to the inside of the temple in Kul Elna.

Bakura kissed his host's forehead gently so as not to disturb his sleep. He stroked the boy's hair as if trying to soothe him, and while he did so slowly lifted the Millennium Ring from Ryou's neck. He was careful in moving, still trying not to wake the sleeping boy as he made his way over to the stone slab where the rest of the Millennium Items were waiting. He put the Ring on himself and looked down at the other golden Items, thinking about what he had to do now. He was so close, always close, to completing what he had set himself out to do. But it was never close enough - something else always seemed to come up. Perhaps it would be better if Ryou were to just leave and forget about him. Bakura stared long and hard at the Millennium Key. It wasn't possible for the boy to simply forget on his own... but if he used the Key, then he could change that horrible, empty soul room into what it should have been.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to nobody in particular. He didn't reach for the Millennium Item yet; he still wanted to try and find another solution to this problem.

It did not take long for Ryou to follow suit, waking up when his other half was no longer beside him. "Don't you get it? He doesn't have any use for you anymore. You are a burden," the voice in his head popped up again. Weirdly enough, it sounded like the old Bakura- the Bakura that hated him. The boy felt uncomfortable. He failed to understand why he could not get through Bakura. No, he was never capable of doing such thing. Bakura would always keep things to himself and would rarely let anyone in. It had been long- far too long since he heard those three words that made him feel human. He stood up, leg feeling much better after resting it for quite some time.

He walked up to Bakura before stopping the moment he heard Bakura's thoughts. He was actually considering manipulating Ryou's thoughts of him? _'N-No...'_he thought as the voice inside his head simply laughed. He knew that the voice was mocking him- loving the way he would squirm and get into fits. Ryou's eyes narrowed a little as he tried to understand why it felt different- it felt painful to know that Bakura was still looking out for him. He was willing to manipulate Ryou's thoughts... So that Ryou could move on without him. "Am I not enough?"

Bakura closed his eyes and put a hand to Ryou's as the boy held on to his arm. Truth be told the thief's heart felt like it was breaking, even though he knew that shouldn't have been possible. He wasn't even truly human anymore - had Ryou really changed him that much? "You shouldn't have gotten involved," he whispered. "If you had just given me the Millennium Ring that night, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have to question myself, and you wouldn't have to feel all this pain." He didn't sound angry, only tired. As if he was exhausted of this whole thing. He had let things go on too long now.

The boy sat beside Bakura, grabbing his arm before hugging it as tight as he could. He knew that they were being monitored and it was not as if the dark lord grew fond of him already. In fact, he knew that the evil god loathed him for even attempting to sway Bakura from calling him back to the world. "I will miss you.". He did not know when or where the evil lord would triumph over the forces of the pharaoh and personally, he did not really care much about them. In his mind, the more important thing was that he was going to lose his darker counterpart forever.

"Why don't you just... Kill me? Instead of rearranging my soul room... It'd just be the same anyway. I'll be dead the moment Zorc gets summoned to this world. I'd rather die in your hands than in his." He couldn't just kill Ryou. In more than one way, it would be like killing himself. He still felt so strongly connected to the boy's soul that it was almost as if they were still one and the same, but in addition to that, now he was emotionally connected to the boy as well. _This isn't like me. I'm the King of Thieves! I should be able to kill him without a second thought...! But... I can't... I can't do it!_

The boy closed his eyes again, the sound of the steps coming at a complete halt. "Shinkan Seth," he whispered, his left eye peered open. The priest had his arm raised out as a sign of a challenge against the thief king. Ryou held the thief's arm before parting from him. "Bakura-sama.".

Luckily, they could not continue this discussion any further. A distraction had provided itself in the form of the High Priest Seth, white dragon forming behind him. It was different than the Ka he had used before, Bakura could tell; he would have recognized the Blue Eyes White Dragon if it had been used in their earlier battle. "Thief! I'm here on orders of the Pharaoh to finish you once and for all. You won't escape this place alive." The priest's eyes darted around as if looking for some sort of trick. When he spotted Ryou, he scowled darkly. "Putting an innocent's life at risk like this... tell me, Thief, what is this boy to you?"

Bakura could only laugh at the priest's sudden stall for time. But if it was a chat Seth wanted before his death, then it was the least the King of Thieves could do to grant that last wish. "I'm not sure that's any of your business, Lord Priest." Bakura's voice was dripping with irony as he called Seth by this mocking title. "But I think you know quite well without asking. Judging by that dragon Ka... you know exactly who he is. Tell me, Seth, does he remind you of her?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed, the venom in his words stinging the High Priest visibly. Seth knew exactly what Bakura was getting at, though he did not want to admit to this knowledge out loud. "That has nothing to do with you!" He exclaimed. The white dragon behind him roared, also seeming to take offense somehow. Bakura only laughed in response and raised his arms, Diabound backing away as he did so.

"I don't have any quarrel with you, Priest. It's the Pharaoh I want. I'm willing to let you live for now... and besides, I have something that you want, don't I?" The thief burst out into laughter, turning around and looking at Ryou. There were many things he was referring to when speaking about something Seth desired: the woman he had lost, his own revenge, power... Ryou happened to represent a few of those things to the Priest, while Bakura himself was symbolic of the rest. Perhaps he could avoid a fight here and further his own goal at the same time. Zorc's words were ringing in his head: _"We need Seth. He has a connection with the dragon that can defeat even Ra."_If they could turn the priest to their side, it would give them a huge advantage.

"Come now, Seth. I know there's a reason you haven't attacked us yet. You know I'm right. I can help you. We're not that much different, you and I. We've both lost something precious to us because of the Pharaoh, haven't we?" Diabound started to fade and disappear; Bakura knew that Seth wasn't going to make any moves to attack. In fact, his own Ka was slowly fading away too, from his doubt. All it would take was a little more persuasion, and they would have the High Priest in the palms of their hands.

Ryou tilted his head to the side as he tried his best to understand what was happening. He actually thought that a battle would take place between the thief and the High Priest and yet, they were simply standing there- staring at each other. The voice inside his head chucked, "We still need to get the priest, stupid boy."

The dark lord was slowly starting to enjoy invading this boy's body. Nothing could compare to the thief king, though. Maybe he should take up Bakura's offer of getting even a small taste of the said boy. The evil lord shook his head, dismissing the thought as something that would happen in due time. He had thousands of years to play with his little pawn after. Work now and play later, as they always say. The boy nodded, watching the high priest stare at him with a weird look in his eyes.

What exactly was the emotion that he was projecting? Ryou could tell that high priest was sad and that he truly wanted revenge for whoever is the holder of the Ka. "She would not have died if the pharaoh did not ask you to track us down, Seth-sama," he whispered, getting to his feet as he walked towards the high priest. Probably it was because of the dark lord's influence on him or probably it was because he felt the need to do something for the thief king; for the boy was manipulating Seth. "If you joined us, then you would not have to make unnecessary sacrifices like that again. You'll be happier- having your own freedom and doing whatever you want instead of getting dictated. Think about it, Lord Priest," he whispered, noticing that the priest's eyes grew duller and duller at every passing moment. The boy knew that he was actually contemplating if he really should join them- to give up the pharaoh's trust for power. The High Priest nodded in response, almost melting in the boy's grasp, "Yes, it is high time for me to take the reins."

The evil lord was having fun. Maybe, this new ally could work in his favor. _'I can take over his body for now. I still have to talk to Akunadin about the preparation against the pharaoh. He must not be able to call forth the greatest weapon. If he does, it will destroy us all,'_ the dark lord told the thief king. With that said, Zorc transferred all of his soul inside the High Priest. Bakura could feel the suffocating presence of Zorc leave his body the moment Seth's body became the dark god's real vessel. In a way, he missed it - it left him feeling weak and unbalanced, like all the air had been torn from his lungs and he was only just regaining his breath. His mind was clearer now; he was given time to truly think about what he was doing. He wanted so badly to just finish off the damn Pharaoh and let the rest of the world go to ruin, but there was still Ryou there holding him back. He was only just starting to see that it might not be possible for him to survive after Zorc was summoned. Even if he would have had a chance before, the dark god wasn't too fond of the boy. It was highly likely that Ryou wouldn't be spared... but that didn't mean he couldn't still try. If the boy was loyal to both him and the dark god, and appeared promising at least, Bakura might be able to convince Zorc to keep him around. It wasn't going to be easy, but something had to be done.

"I will make sure that all of the preparations will be made before the Solar Eclipse comes. It would be best if we fulfill our plans on that day. Ra will be powerless along with the other Priests as they take their energy from the sun. No one will be left alive, Akefia. No one," the dark lord stated before the High Priest's body left their presence. He grinned as Zorc spoke to him through Seth's voice, taking the time to kneel before him and bow his head. Might as well show some respect if this crazy idea of his was going to go anywhere. "Yes, Lord Zorc. I look forward to your return." Once he was sure Seth's body was gone, Bakura stood up and gazed at Ryou. He didn't smile; his grin was slowly fading away. He took Ryou's hands in his, not waiting a beat to pull the other boy into his arms. He let out a deep sigh, feeling completely comfortable around him for what felt like the first time in years.

Ryou looked at the floor, guilt slowly making his stomach turn. He knew that Seth was just and that he was fair. He knew that the priest was innocent but he could not afford not to do it; if it was Bakura's happiness on the line. "You have tainted me but I would not want it any other way." They were free to talk now for the shadows have accompanied the dark lord to have a "father-son" conversation with Akunadin. Ryou could feel it himself that the dark lord was not within him or the other Millennium Items. The dark lord was alive and well. What Ryou said was true: Bakura had tainted him. The more twisted part of his mind knew, however, that Ryou still had not been tainted enough. If he were truly going to survive here and in the darkness of the new world, then his soul had to be damaged even further. And yet what was still human in Bakura didn't want that. He still felt as if his Yadonushi should be able to remain as pure and innocent as he had been before this entire ordeal. But then again, he never had been as pure as everyone had thought. One minute in the boy's mind had told Bakura that, and it had only gotten worse over time with the spirit steadily influencing him.

Ryou held on the thief's hand before placing it on his cheek. "I don't want to lose this. I don't want to lose you," he whispered before reaching up to press his lips against the thief's. It had been far too long since their last real kiss. The kiss was soft, innocent, and full of emotion. The boy needed the thief more than words could ever explain. Soon enough, the kiss grew hungry and the two keepers of the ring latched to each other in obvious need. Kiss after kiss occurred; only breaking apart for a short refill of air.

He allowed his Hikari to kiss him, responding with just as much passion, if not more. He desperately missed this and needed it even more than he had realized. Bakura was slowly returning to his devious self, only this time without the dark intent he normally had. In a way, he was becoming almost playful. The seriousness of the situation still hadn't left him yet, though; there were still things they really needed to discuss. He laughed quietly, running a hand through Ryou's hair when they pulled away for a breath. Ryou could feel his heart jump from its cage, "I already told you. You're stuck with me. So stop pushing me away, stupid thief."

"Do you want to die?" Bakura retorted, sounding amused even though he was actually being serious about his question. "I don't want to push you away. Believe it or not, I'm trying to protect you. It seems that Zorc is, ah... a tad jealous." Saying that out loud seemed even stranger than just thinking about it. Nothing about this situation was normal to begin with, but this seemed especially odd.

"Ryou... I want you, in every way. I want to stay with you forever... but that isn't going to be easy." He looked away for a moment, seeming to contemplate something. Bakura wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about saying this. He hoped that some of his earlier thoughts had gone through their mind link, about how Ryou would need to prove to the dark lord just the lengths he was willing to go to help Bakura. If he came off as just being a servant to Zorc, then things may end up working out. "I'm not giving you up without a fight, Yadonushi. You'll be with me until the day I die."

He frowned, grabbing the other's hand again and placing it on his cheek. He loved the feeling of the other's hand on him- particularly because it made him feel as if what was happening was real. It made him feel like there was a strong grip tying him down to reality. Just the mere thought of actually losing Bakura made his heart slowly constrict and stop its beating all together. "I'm going to die either way. Might as well spend it with you, right?"

Those words struck Bakura strongly. Ryou truly thought he was going to die... no, he knew he was going to die - if not by the dark god, then by some other means. It was then that the thief truly realized what was going on. He touched the Millennium Ring, looking down at it. He couldn't even bring himself to speak out loud, but in his mind, all he could think was, _I thought something didn't feel right. You can't use it like that, can you?_ He wouldn't have been surprised if it was because of the dark god's influence that Ryou was unable to keep a part of his soul sealed away in the Millennium Ring. In fact, he was certain that was what it was - he had felt the other's soul in here before, but now that he tried to find it again, it was gone. Bakura couldn't help it; he laughed, slowly and humorlessly, gradually increasing until he was in hysterics. Even when the laughed had subsided his eyes were still wide and his grin looked almost desperate. It was like something inside of him had broken - he could almost feel the last of his sanity begin to melt away. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

He somewhat hoped that the thief king would understand what he just said. If he was going to give up Bakura now, he would die a slow painful death. If he was going to stay by the thief king's side, then he was going to die in the hands of the dark lord- one way or the other. There was not much of a difference if he were to stay or leave the thief king's side so might as well make his last moments happy, right? "Idiot. Nobody said this was going to be easy," he smirked before hitting the thief king on the head- a little wake up head bump. The Hikari grinned before messing up the unruly hair of his thief king. He had been going about this all wrong. He flinched at the bump on the head, not having expected it, and cringed away from Ryou. "I should have known," he whispered. "When has anything ever worked out for either of us before? I was stupid for thinking that maybe this would work." Though strangely enough, he wouldn't have it any other way. He was thankful that he had been able to spend this time with Ryou like this, and like he had said before, he still wasn't about to give up. He would go to any lengths necessary to continue on as they were.

"Tell me... Tell me you love me," Ryou requested, pulling his other half closer. With this in mind, it was easy for the thief king to begin smirking again. He chuckled in amusement now, wrapping his arms around Ryou's waist and leaning in close to kiss him gently. "I love you. Is that all you want? For me to tell you that? Because I do, so much. I love you." His hands trailed to the thief king's cheeks, caressing his face before smiling at him. He touched the thief's scar, something that only he was allowed to do as far as he was concerned. He shivered when Ryou touched his scar; nobody had ever touched him there before, save for when they had been created, not that he would have let that area be touched anyway. He remembered watching the boy feel the same pain he had felt from these wounds when he was being tested in the Shadow Realm and wondered how if must have felt for him to have the same scar messily copied onto his face. For Bakura, the pain hadn't been too bad - it was inflicted on him by someone he didn't personally know, but hated all the same - but for Ryou, it had been carved into his features by someone that he believed he was in love with. Even if it hadn't been the real Bakura, just the thought of having someone he trusted hurting him so badly must have been terrifying.

The boy's hands trailed down to the thief's robes, running a hand through his chest before taking the read cloak off of his tan body. The thief's body was obviously more built than him and it was obvious that he was a little older than Ryou but to the white haired boy, it seems as if the thief king was still young at heart. Ryou blushed deeply upon realizing that he was still in women's clothes. The boy's arms wrapped around the thief's neck once more before whispering something in his ear. "I want to show you how much I want you."

He ran his hand through the boy's hair, kissing him slowly again, but getting more and more passionate with every second that passed. He knew what was going to happen next, and to be honest, Bakura was looking forward to it. It felt like it had been too long since they had truly been together like that. "I'm yours, Ryou. I'll fight against the gods themselves to keep you with me forever."

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**Preview for Chapter 28:** Anything for you.

"Ah - ahhh, Yadonushi - Ryou, my Ryou..." Bakura's eyes were already half-lidded in pleasure and the boy had barely even done anything yet. He was so aroused right now he couldn't even control himself. The way Ryou would bite down on his ear drove him wild. The thief king's hands roamed his Yadonushi's body, one resting on his lower back and the other one coming behind his thigh. He lifted the boy's leg so that it came up next to him, still bent, managing to pull their bodies even closer together. He could feel Ryou getting hard, too, and laughed. "I'm not the only one, am I, Yadonushi?"


	28. Anything for you

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba. kun and starrrrii story!

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Things are looking up for me, mainly because school is done in a few days. That can only mean that I would be able to update this story more often- when I'm not busy fixing my other stories. I still have not replied to Googlii's post and I feel guilty for it. Ugh. As for the YGO story that I talked about in the last chapter, I fear that I may not be able to finish the plot soon enough.

In my opinion, this chapter is one of my favorite ones, mainly because it reveals our inner perverted sides. Let's just say that the last time Chiba and I talked about it, we ended up laughing and blushing a hell lot. I think this is my second or third favorite smut scene ever in this story, especially because it contains around 7,000 words of Tendershipping love. Yeah, we are perverts.

I don't think I can stress this enough. This chapter is purely smut. If you want to run to the non-smut, plot-related part of the story, run to the line before the preview for the next chapter. I broke the paragraph especially for the readers that do not enjoy boy on boy sex scenes. It's really important for you guys to read the last part of the story.

I shall not keep you waiting anymore. We do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of the characters. If we did, then this chapter would be an actual episode. Please enjoy reading and review if you have the time!

Don't you just hate Zorc? Yeah? Well, he's a total bitch in this chapter.

**Chapter Warnings: **Puzzleshipping smut (Because we have not heard from them in a while), Tendershipping smut (In a hell lot of positions), Zorc being a bitch, **Someone dead is coming back**.

Wait, I didn't tell you that? Well, someone dead is coming back. Happy now?

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**Chapter 28: **Anything for you.

Atemu sighed, kissing the smaller boy's stomach in an attempt to ease the pain. He had not been completely selfish for their sessions in bed also comprised of switching positions once in a while. He knew that Yuugi had fun just knowing that he could satisfy the pharaoh. His lips grazed the boy's stomach then to his chest then his neck. After planting a few kisses on the boy's jaw, his hand trailed off to the boy's side, lifting the boy's thigh. Atemu massaged the boy's side. Unfortunately, the pharaoh had been rough towards the boy- even to the extent of releasing his frustrations by gripping somewhat harshly on the boy's hips. Small bruises were created on the boy's thighs- bruises that also appeared on him the moment his other self took him. The part that the pharaoh enjoyed the most was the fact that the boy did not hold back at all- screaming at the top of his lungs every time he would meet his blissful release. Every time Atemu would even consider resting, he found himself lusting after the smaller boy once more.

"I'm sorry, Yuugi," he apologized for the third time, creating another mark on the small boy's neck. Now, the pharaoh could understand as to why the thief king could not keep his hands off Ryou. He now understood as to why the pale Hikari would have those marks all over his neck. Every time he took Yuugi, he felt a connection between them that made the sensations increase. The pharaoh ran his hands through the sleeping boy's hair, tongue leaving his mouth only to drag it along the Puzzle-holder's neck. The pharaoh was trying his best to calm down but found his urges to be too unbearable to control. "I love you, Yuugi. I want you all to myself. No one will ever take you away from me."

Yuugi slowly stirred underneath his Yami, smiling that ever-present smile of his. He lifted his arms to wrap them around the Pharaoh's neck and nuzzled into his shoulder. The pain in his body had only grown even more intense - now the aches of their little sessions were added to the pain inflicted upon him by the thief king. But he was still so happy, just knowing that his Yami was willing to do this for him and loved him enough to allow this sort of contact between them.

"Yami... I want to stay with you forever. But to tell you the truth... I'm worried. I'm worried about Ryou and the Spirit of the Ring." He looked away sadly, knowing that the Pharaoh would pick up on what he was trying to say. Yuugi was afraid that they wouldn't be able to stay together, and even if they made it through this, there was still the issue of what was going to happen to them back in the real, modern world.

"Um... but there's one more thing..." Yuugi blushed; it felt weird to bring this point up now, after all they had already been through. "I... I don't know your real name. I can't just call you 'Yami' or 'other me' all the time." He almost laughed at the weirdness of that thought. He wasn't even sure if the Pharaoh himself knew his real name.

The pharaoh could not help but frown when he felt the ripple of concern run through his veins. "I have to be beaten before I can cross over to the memory world. I have not been beaten before, nor will I ever lose. I am the king of games." Yuugi looked away, remaining silent. That had been what he was afraid of - he knew his Yami would have to cross over eventually, but he didn't even want to think about that. Losing his other self was like losing his own heart. He just loved the Pharaoh too much to send him away, but at the same time he knew eventually he would have to let the other go. And when that time came, no matter how hard it was for Yuugi, he would do it.

He just loved the taste of the smaller boy- whether it is his kisses, his skin, or his love fluids. Either way, the pharaoh loved servicing his partner. "To tell you the truth, I still don't remember my name. I've tried asking the High Priests about it but they say that it is the law not to utter the pharaoh's name. But, I do find it sexy when you call me your pharaoh," he whispered, kissing him on the lips once more. "Yuugi, Take me in your mouth?"

Even though for now it was okay to just call his other self by what he had been saying the entire time he had known him, Yuugi still wanted to learn his name. It was important, not just for his own personal reasons. He laughed and smiled at his Yami, blushing shyly and still looking away. "...Yes. If that's what you want, my Pharaoh, then I'm happy to do it."

He slid down the other's body, putting his hands on the Pharaoh's hips and kissing his stomach. Yuugi kissed his way down slowly, teasingly, until he reached his other self's length. He began to lick at the base, all the way to the tip, taking time to go slowly to get the other fully aroused. When he was satisfied, the boy took the Pharaoh's member in his mouth and began to move himself back and forth, taking his other self in as deeply as he could.

The pharaoh groaned before looking down at Yuugi. In truth, the smaller boy looked animalistic as he took his Yami's member in his mouth like that. His entire length looked as if it was disappearing in the boy's mouth as he bobbed his head up and down. "Y-Yuugi!" he exclaimed, bucking his hips forward a little. The pharaoh was writhing in pleasure the moment he heard a knock on the door. "W-What- uhn- is it?" he called out, trying his best to keep his composure as he pulled the boy up before kissing him on the neck. He pushed Yuugi on the bed before taking the smaller boy' member his mouth and giving him the same treatment that the smaller boy gave him just moments ago. Unfortunately, the person knocking won't stop - which turned out to be Akunadin. "My pharaoh, I would like to speak to you about the Millennium Items for only my Millennium Eye is with us."

At this point in time, Atemu pushed the smaller boy in all fours, his fingers within the smaller boy now as he tried his best to loosen Yuugi's entrance. "I am preoccupied right now, High Priest Akunadin. I shall speak to you during breakfast," he called out before holding onto Yuugi's hips and then thrusting inside him. The High Priest was a little taken aback the moment he heard the pharaoh screaming from the other side of the door. The older keeper simply walked off, pretending that he did not heard anything from the wing. "Yuugi... Y-You're so tight! Even if I have already taken you more than once already! Does it feel good, Aibou?" he whispered, in between groans, trying his best to suck on the smaller boy's neck. The moans coming from the smaller boy simply fueled him up some more before he started to move a little faster within the boy.

Yuugi couldn't care less about the voice on the other side of the door. His mind was too hazed over with lust and love for his Pharaoh that he couldn't even really hear the conversation going on. All he could hear was Atemu's voice, somehow distant as if he wasn't focusing on what he was saying. Which was fine with Yuugi, because soon enough the Pharaoh was done with the priest outside the door, and back to pleasing his Hikari. The boy cried out in pleasure when he felt the other's member push inside of him. "Y-yes! Gods, yes, Pharaoh! Y-Yami, unnngh... f-faster!" He yelled. He pushed against his other self strongly, urging him to just give him more of what he wanted. He only hoped that the Pharaoh was feeling the same amount of pleasure and fulfillment that Yuugi himself was getting out of this.

"I-I'm almost there, Aibou!" he cooed, taking the boy's member in his hand before pumping it at the same pace as his movements. Their bodies created a smacking sound the moment they collide, the sounds echoing in the room. "Y-Yes, Yuugi... Scream. Scream some more and tell everyone that the pharaoh is yours and yours alone. You feel so hot and tight around me that I feel like I'm going to explode soon! Ra, Yuugi... D-Do you want me to release inside you?" he whispered, his movements fluid in time with his thrusts inside the boy again and again. It did not take that long before he felt the boy release in his hands but the pharaoh did not cease. He still continued massaging the boy's member, his cum-covered hand moving faster than it did moments ago. Atemu's member continued to move within the boy and it seems that the pharaoh was almost reaching his peak as well.

Yuugi was sobbing with pleasure, biting down on his arm to try and hide that fact. But when the Pharaoh asked him to scream... he couldn't deny his lover that request. Yuugi braced himself, moaning loudly before crying out, "Yes! Oh, Ra, yes! Pharaoh, my Pharaoh... Y-Yami!" He shuddered violently, unable to hold back from releasing himself. His other self was still going though, obviously not ready to finish yet. Yuugi wanted to do whatever he could to make sure the Pharaoh was completely satisfied. "Y-yes! I want you to come inside of me! F-fill me, Yami! I want everything you can give me...!" Both physically and emotionally. If that Pharaoh was offering it, Yuugi would take it without hesitation, and return every favor he got to the best of his ability. "I-I love you, Pharaoh!"

The pharaoh could hear soft sobs coming from the boy and it made the pharaoh slightly concerned about his condition. However, the moment he heard his lover screaming and begging for more, the concern shifted to something else. He wanted the boy to enjoy it as much as possible. Atemu angled his thrusts to make sure that he was hitting the right spots before he finally released inside the boy, taking time before pulling away. The pharaoh smiled, bringing the boy closer to his chest. He ran a hand through his partner's hair, his eyes close to closing. "I hope I was not too rough on you, Yuugi. I love you too," he whispered, his hold tightening around the boy. He felt weary and yet, he knew he still had duties to his land. But for now, only Yuugi mattered in Atemu's eyes. Only Yuugi was in the pharaoh's mind and heart. He tilted the boy's chin up a little, lips moving in a small smile before pressing their lips together in a soft kiss. "I want to stay with you 'till my last breath."

Yuugi shook his head, unable to speak. His voice was rough and hoarse now from all the screaming; he had to clear his throat a few times before he could even get a strained few words out. The Pharaoh hadn't hurt him too much; the pain he was feeling now was actually very satisfying (except for his head and shoulder from when the King of Thieves had tossed him against the wall) because he knew it had been caused by his Yami, not out of malice but out of affection.

The boy's eyes widened at Atemu's next words, however. _Until your last breath... _those words hurt. Yuugi already knew that this wasn't going to last, because he had long come to terms with the idea that he would have to be the one to send that Pharaoh to his final resting place - his final death. Tears welled up in the boy's eyes and he clung to his Yami, sobbing quietly. He didn't want to think about it, but it had always been there. And now that they had done this... now that they knew they truly were in love with each other... it wasn't going to last. Just the idea of it broke Yuugi's heart.

* * *

The boy's smile faded the moment the thief came to that sudden realization. The boy was certain that he talked to him about it before but nonetheless, Ryou simply shrugged it off as something that Bakura only remembered for a fleeting moment. "I can't. Not anymore at least. I-I don't exactly know why but I can't use it like that anymore," he whispered, arms still wrapped around his neck. Suddenly, the boy did something strange. Ryou started laughing upon seeing that reaction on his face- a mixture of shock and utter disbelief that his Hikari would even fathom hitting him on the head like that. "Bakura's getting submissive!" he exclaimed before his lips were claimed in another kiss- a gentle one at that. Bakura's kisses were usually not this gentle nor were they as chaste as this one. The boy could not help but groan the moment he pulled away and yet he simply blushed deeply at the statement. The thief did not say it often enough so when Bakura decides to be tender with him like this, he wanted to simply melt in the moment.

"I just love... hearing you say it. It's not that I don't feel it but instead, it's just hearing you say that in your voice. It sends chills down my spine like when we do... it. It just sounds so-mmhrph!" he was stopped by another passionate kiss from the thief king, causing him to moan into the kiss. He pushed the thief against the wall, determined to have his way around the thief. It did not matter who tops but he was certain that he will dominate this thief king. Every time he even tries to dominate him, he feels this sudden rush of power surge within him and it just felt magical- as corny as it may sound. "And don't you forget that you're mine," he whispered in the thief king's ear, biting it before yanking the thief's lower garments. The boy blushed once more upon seeing his length. He enjoyed the view. The boy nibbled on Bakura's lower lip before slipping his tongue in the thief's mouth. The kiss itself was torrid and Ryou was not just going to give up his dominance over the thief king even if the other was clearly more powerful than him.

Bakura didn't want to admit to how he was feeling. When Ryou was like this, so confident and dominant, it drove the thief king crazy. It sent shockwaves of pleasure all throughout his body even before he was actually touched. It was a side of Ryou nobody but him had ever seen, and he rarely saw it from Ryou to begin with. It made him groan in pleasure, pressing against the boy as they kissed as if letting go would somehow kill him. That familiar feeling of not being close enough, never being close enough to his Hikari, had returned, and Bakura was more than grateful for that. He was able to lose himself even more easily than ever before.

He wrapped a hand around his length before he started massaging it. He started from the base, massaging his sacks before going through his length. A kiss was placed on the thief's ear, licking on its shell before Ryou let his hot breath glide against it. "You're so hard right now, Kura." Ryou made no move to remove any of his clothing, save for some rings and accessories that were scattered all over the floor. He took one of the thief's hands in his, kissing the ring that was stolen for Bakura before licking along the fingers and then sucking on the tips. He made sure that his tongue would move at almost the same pace as his other hand that was massaging the thief king's length. Oh how he loved torturing Bakura like this.

"Ah - ahhh, Yadonushi - Ryou, my Ryou..." Bakura's eyes were already half-lidded in pleasure and the boy had barely even done anything yet. He was so aroused right now he couldn't even control himself. The way Ryou would bite down on his ear drove him wild. The thief king's hands roamed his Yadonushi's body, one resting on his lower back and the other one coming behind his thigh. He lifted the boy's leg so that it came up next to him, still bent, managing to pull their bodies even closer together. He could feel Ryou getting hard, too, and laughed. "I'm not the only one, am I, Yadonushi?"

The hand on Ryou's leg shifted a little bit, lifting the skirt of the boy's clothing up just enough to expose more skin. The thief's eyes darted down and he took a long, appreciative look. "Beautiful..." he whispered, "Everything about you... so beautiful." He couldn't help himself. Bakura leaned in towards the boy's neck, licking at it before finding the spot just below Ryou's ear that he knew would make the boy scream in delight. When he got there, Bakura bit down harshly. He knew Ryou liked it rough (which was odd, considering his personality), and Bakura was happy to do whatever he could to make this as enjoyable as possible, even if it meant hurting his Yadonushi. There was something just so beautifully twisted and sweet about the idea of pain being what excited Ryou the most. But then again... he had come after Bakura like this. There wasn't something right in the boy's mind anyway if the thief king was the one Ryou wanted to chase after so badly.

The boy wrapped a leg around the thief's waist, groaning as his length made contact with the thief. "K-Kura." His face flushed with pure desire. He did not even understand why he wanted to be handled this way but he knew that he only wanted Bakura to touch him like this. It was rough, yes, but the raw friction and the feel of having the thief all over him was just too good to even describe. Maybe it was because of having a semi-sadistic counterpart inhabiting his body most of the time but the boy was certain that he got a fetish out of getting hurt. Yes, he was becoming a self-proclaimed masochist but not to the extent that he wanted bruises all over his body. When the lips touched his neck, Ryou could feel his knees buckle. "S-Stop teasing me," he whispered, his hands still massaging the thief king's length.

By now, the thief's member was hard and ready for Ryou, though the white-haired boy wanted him to be so close to his release even more than he was already. "Baku-sama," he whispered, feeling the member pulsate his hand before letting go of him completely. The white haired boy knew that the thief king was about to reach his peak but he knew that he had to stop or the thief might be too tired to give him what he wanted. "Yadonushi..." he groaned against the boy's neck. His voice was muffled and obscured slightly due to the fact that his teeth had sunk into the boy's skin and hadn't moved. Blood had started to trickle out in small amounts. It wasn't anywhere near enough to be worrying. Bakura licked it up where he could; the taste drove him wild. "Ryou... mmm... so good..."

"I want you inside me, taking me as hard as you can, Kura-aahh!" he broke out into a long moan when he felt his teeth sink in his neck. There was something disturbing with the thief's pseudo-vampire attitude of taking blood from his host like this but in truth; Ryou could not be more turned on by the situation. It stung when Bakura licked the small wounds, causing him to moan in delight the moment he took in the scent of his own blood. That was enough to push Ryou to the fiend that was dormant within him.

Bakura could only smirk and chuckle when Ryou spoke to him, asking - no, demanding - all these different things of him. It was like he was a different person, almost. But not quite. "Of course, my Ryou," he whispered against the boy's ear, tongue darting out to lick at the shell. "Anything you want... anything for you." There was still blood trickling slowly down the boy's neck, but Bakura couldn't find any complaint with that. If anything, it just made the sight before him all the sweeter. That tiny bit of red against pale skin... it was beautiful.

He pushed against Bakura, making sure that the thief was in place. His leg wrapped around Bakura even tighter, making sure that he was standing as stable as he could. His garments were immediately torn into pieces- causing Ryou to worry about what he was going to wear while later but he knew he could think of something. Right now, his main focus was the thief king, who was apparently in heat."So... So hard," he whispered lightly as he pressed against the thief as close as he could, kissing the thief deeply before groaning the moment he let the thief enter him while they were standing up. He shifted against Ryou, maneuvering the smaller body a little bit so that he could push inside the boy. The moment he could feel himself inside Ryou, Bakura gasped. Something about all this just felt so different - maybe it was the positions they were in, but it just seemed to intensify the pleasure. He did his best to move quickly and switch their positions, ending up pushing Ryou against the wall where he had been just seconds ago. He nipped the boy's lower lip and chuckled. "This might hurt a bit," the thief king said, referring mainly to the fact that the wall he would be taking Ryou against was rather rough. It may cut into his back but somehow, he doubted that his Hikari would mind all that much. He might just have gotten some twisted kick out of the extra pain.

The sensation felt better for some weird reason; his muscles were clenching around Bakura tighter compared to when they were laying on a bed or on the floor. He could feel his inner walls stretch, groaning as he tilted his head back. "S-So good! Kura! I-I'm yours! Yours!" he exclaimed along with other profanities not really fit for Ryou's image. But right now, it seems as if he truly wanted to take the thief king as much as he could.

Finding a good spot and making sure Ryou was comfortable was not all that easy, but eventually Bakura found something that was sort of manageable, even if it would change quickly. "I want you so much," he hissed. "Want you to scream for me... beg me for more. I want to see your beautiful face twisted and contorted with pleasure..." He laughed darkly. As twisted as he may have sounded, Bakura was telling the entire truth. Right now, that truly was all he wanted. He wanted to see how much Ryou enjoyed this.

Without doing anything to warn Ryou except for taking a firm hold of the boy's hips, the thief began to move in and out of him quickly, setting up an already satisfying pace, one that only grew to go faster and deeper with Ryou's moans of encouragement. Bakura had forgone all self-restraint a long time ago, and as the pleasure continued to build within him, he began to increase his pace even more. Soon he was angling his thrusts, doing his best to hit that one sweet spot of Ryou's that would make him scream in ecstasy.

He could feel his back being pressed against the wall- the rough wall that collided with his pale sensitive back. At each thrust, his back would collide against the wall as it started to make marks- some leaving deeper ones compared to the others. Ryou could feel the pleasure build within him slowly, feeling the jagged rocks scratch against his sensitive skin. The boy parted his lips over and over again. He was screaming profanities- moans of pleasure due to the act and due to the pain. He knew that he was twisted that way and he just hoped that the thief king did not find it that odd for him to feel that way. His face was red with the heat of their bodies colliding again and again, his hips doing their best to move in sync with his thief's motions. "F-Faster! H-Harder! Kura-aaahh!" the boy screamed the moment he felt Bakura hit his prostate. He could not help but feel as if his entire soul was slowly getting torn from his body due to the immense pleasure the thief was giving him.

Ryou pulled him closer, his nails digging against his back as his member released bit of pre-cum. He was aching for release- that pure sweet bliss that he felt but he knew that he did not want this to end- no, not yet. "K-Kura! Y-Yes! Please! Please! Take me!" he exclaimed, feeling the wave of pleasure almost there when the boy suddenly stopped his movements. It took most of his control to stop the thief, his eyes glazed over with lust and want for the thief. He wanted to prolong the agony on the part of the thief- mostly because he wanted to do everything that would make his thief feel good. When the wave of bliss passed by,

Bakura couldn't even tell what was going on around him anymore. All that seemed to exist for his was Ryou's body and the sound of his voice, begging him for more and screaming things that the thief had never even thought the boy was capable of thinking. He loved every second of it. Words couldn't even be formed properly on the thief's lips, so instead of speaking all his thoughts came out as groans and fragments of noises. When Ryou suddenly began to slow down and even attempt to stop Bakura, the thief growled lowly, eyes narrowing. He couldn't understand what was going on, at least until Ryou began to take the lead again.

A look of realization dawned upon Bakura, and he smirked. "Y-you... damn it..." But he was thrilled with this turn of events. When Ryou was like this it proved to the thief and the boy himself that he wasn't as weak as everyone seemed to think. If Ryou wanted something, he worked for it... just like now. Ryou grinned, still panting but it was already obvious that he could barely stand. He pressed Bakura's back against the wall, kissing his neck before dragging his tongue lazily over his chest. He reached out in between the thief's thighs and took the member in his hand before realizing that he truly was near his release. "I want you to see the stars too, Bakura." Bakura licked his lips, doing his best not to flinch when he felt the boy entering him. It was such a weird sensation and it kind of hurt... but that pain just made him all the more excited. In reply to Ryou's words, he whispered (making sure to put extra emphasis on the boy's name), "Good. Hurry up then... Ryou."

What he felt next made Bakura scream in utmost pleasure. He felt his back hit the wall and grate against it with every thrust Ryou made. He could feel the skin on his back start to tear and open up. He could feel blood starting to trickle out of the small wounds. It hurt like hell but the thief would not have it any other way - if nothing else, this only made him feel even better. "B-Baku... Y-You're so tight and hard. I-I just love taking you for myself, thief. I'm going to snatch your title away from you," he whispered, his voice sultry. It was weird; truly, how Ryou's inner dominance would kick in the moment he would start to make love to the thief. The thought that Ryou was the one to hurt him in this way, a way nobody else would ever be able to do... it drove the thief crazy. Coupled with what his Hikari was whispering to him now... Bakura couldn't take it anymore. "Just t-try and take that title from me," he hissed. It was a challenge, in a way, a means to get Ryou to keep going and increase his pace.

"L-L-Looks like you're about to-to," the boy could not even finish his sentence when he took the thief king's lips in his again before moving as fast and as hard as he could, hitting that sweet spot again and again. The thief king started trembling all of a sudden, feeling that tight heat beginning to coil in the pit of his stomach. He knew he was close and that he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Arms came to rest around Ryou's neck, pulling him in close and crushing their lips together while his right hand clenched in the boy's hair. Stars were exploding behind his eyes and he just couldn't take it anymore. He could feel himself coming close as well when the kiss started. He hastened his pace as he angled his thrusts so it would only hit that one particular spot. Ryou's knees buckled but he tried his best not to collapse any time soon. He needed his release and he needed it badly. With a stifled cry, Bakura let go of himself and released his seed, coming between their bodies and clenching down on Ryou. His lips never left the boy's. The moment he felt the liquid trickle down his body, the pale boy met his own release as well, filling the thief with his seed. A long and loud moan erupted from Ryou's throat- a moan that could make even the most innocent of people think about those dirty thoughts. His chest heaved, hand gripping on the thief's shoulder as he pushed in a couple more times to release everything within the thief. "You don't know how... beautiful you look right now," he whispered, his voice husky due to his panting. He could feel his vision blur slightly for he felt as if he was going to lose consciousness soon. But no, he did not want to succumb to such weakness.

He pulled out of his Yami, his member limp. His hand trailed on his stomach before taking the seed off of him and licking his fingers after. The boy then bent, licking his thief's excess seed on his own stomach. Soon enough, he came face to face with the thief's length before putting it in his mouth, licking the tip first before licking along the length. He knew that the skin was sensitive so he did not want to suck on it first; however, the boy was actually torturing him by going painfully slow with the act that he was doing. "Such a bad tenant you are... Releasing before your Yadonushi-sama did," he whispered, hands massaging the thief's inner thighs. He looked up at the thief with the look that simply said that their session was far from over. Soon enough, he began licking on the thief's inner thighs, making sure that he was going painfully slow. He licked along his hole before licking his sacks. "Such a waste," he whispered, licking the other liquid from in between his thighs.

It took bit longer than normal for the king of thieves to come down from his post-release high, but the sound of Ryou's voice was helping him greatly. He looked up with glazed-over eyes, smirking almost lazily at his Hikari. He couldn't think of anything to say, really, but he was greatly amused by all of this. The thief watched as the boy began to clean himself off and squirmed when he felt a tongue start to lick away the liquids that stained his skin. He couldn't bite back a moan at the slow torture - something about it was just so strangely erotic. Bakura wasn't much one for gentleness, but easing into it like this and having the pleasure slowly dragged out of him felt amazingly good. Since when was Ryou so good at this?

"I'm... g-going to have to k-kill whoever taught you how... how to do this," he ground out between heavy breaths. _He_ certainly hadn't ever done things this way with Ryou, but there was something that was familiar about the way the boy was speaking. Bakura seemed to have rubbed off on his poor, innocent Hikari more than he thought. "You're getting too full of yourself," he hissed, accenting his words with a growl. The thief's eyes were narrowed and threatening, but he was still smirking in a way that showed he really liked the way things were going.

Soon enough, the thief was fully clean and a budding erection was poking the boy's cheek by the time that he was done. He smirked lightly, kissing the tip of his length before taking it in his mouth, sucking ever so softly to make sure that the thief would feel both pleasure and pain from being held back from his release. His arm pressed hard on the thief's stomach to make sure that he would not be tempted to thrust in Ryou's mouth while the pale boy started to touch himself as well. He could not exactly explain his high libido around the thief but it was as if Bakura was his own version of an ecstasy. Ryou continued his painfully slow torture, making sure that he covered all of the thief's sweet spots before looking up at him. "I think it's safe to say that I have taken your title from you, Bakura-sama," he whispered, only this time the 'sama' part was said in a sarcastic manner. A sensual smirk was plastered on Ryou's lips before he continued his onslaught on Bakura's sensitive length.

When Ryou took his length into his mouth, Bakura's back arched and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. He knew he was being held back and put at his Yadonushi's mercy, and though he didn't like the idea of that at all, Bakura's body was responding in the entirely opposite way. Was this how Ryou had felt when Bakura would take control of him? If it was, then the thief made a mental note to pay his Hikari back in kind. The boy wasn't going to be the one to end this - not even close. "You're far from being the King of Thieves," he whispered. He was trying to push the boy further again, challenging him in a way. But while Ryou wasn't much of a grave robber, like Bakura was, the thief could admit that maybe Ryou was the king of something else entirely.

He tangled his hand in the boy's hair, tugging it hard enough to slow Ryou even further in hopes of gaining the Hikari's attention. "It's hardly fair that you get to do all the work. Don't you want me to help you out there, Yadonushi_-sama_?" He made sure to put emphasis on calling the boy '-sama'. It amused him that Ryou would give himself that title, and he repeated it with a tinge of sarcasm. He was teasing, as usual, but he found that in this situation, there was absolutely nothing wrong with addressing the boy as such. If anything, it just added to the sweetness of everything.

Ryou grinned lightly at the response that he was getting, loving every moment that his thief was getting submissive. "I thought you liked it when I was creative like this, Bakura?" he asked, almost sounding hurt if not for the soft circles that he was creating on the thief's inner thighs. He loved hearing his thief groan like that- as if putting himself in absolute sense of torture and pure bliss all at the same time. He could feel himself harden at his own strokes and also due to the thief's groans of pleasure. There was something truly erotic about having a submissive thief like this- especially one that was as appealing as the King of Thieves. "I may not be the King of Thieves but you can't hurt me much for trying to steal things from you, Bakura."

Bakura laughed deeply at the remark. "I love it," he half-moaned. His voice was low and husky now, though totally unintentional on his part. He didn't even bother to reply to the next part; he couldn't hurt Ryou for that... or much, really. When they had shared a body he had rarely lashed out at the boy and when he had, it was always emotionally rather than physically. It was only himself that he hurt - and even when Ryou had been in pain, Bakura had made sure that he took some of that pain away. He didn't mind getting hurt, as it somewhat helped him to feel more alive as opposed to being just a ghost in the back of a boy's mind.

Soon enough, he felt the thief tugging at his hair, causing him to moan out of pain and bliss coming from the hair pulling. He looked up, listening intently to what he was saying before nodding slowly. "You're right, It's not fair for me to do all the work," he whispered before gesturing the thief to lay on the cold floor. The moment his thief was on the floor already, Ryou stayed on top of said thief before taking the length in his hand once more. "Suck, Thief King." The thief groaned loudly at the increased pace of Ryou's movements, then even more when he slowed down. He really was getting a bit too comfortable with himself right now. When he was asked (or rather, told) to suck, Bakura just smirked cruelly. "Of course, Yadonushi_-sama_. Whatever you want..." He chuckled darkly and then pressed his lips to the tip of Ryou's arousal, kissing gently before taking him into his mouth. Just as Ryou asked, the thief king began to suck, gently at first, then getting more and more intense until he could taste the first few drops of the boy's pre-cum on his tongue. At the same time, Ryou would suck softly, giving him a soft massage or two before slipping in a finger in his seed-filled hole. The moment his fingers entered the thief king's hole, he could hear the sloppy sounds of his seed and fingers making contact with the thief's inner wall. He groaned, enjoying the sounds and oddly enough, it was turning the boy on in so many different levels.

It was then that he pulled away, at nearly the exact same second as Ryou. Bakura almost laughed as he shifted so that he was kneeling between Ryou's legs. The boy had rolled over so that he was laying on the cold floor. "Pleasure me, Bakura," he whispered, his body shuddering slightly from the temperature of the cemented floor but it only made him even more excited. The moment the thief was on top of him, moans of pleasure and of excitement erupted from the boy's lips and yet, he could not even move to touch himself. "K-Kura... Please..." he whispered, knowing that even just one stroke would be good enough to send him over the edge.

The thief made a move as if he were going to start to stroke Ryou. Instead, he lifted one hand to grip the base of the boy's length, wrapping his fingers around it and forcing Ryou to hold his release back. "Of course I'll please you, love," he whispered. And he fully intended to make Ryou feel good, too... just as long as he didn't release himself too early. "Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it... conditionally, of course."

Bakura used his free hand to begin to lazily stroke at Ryou, taking up the same torturously slow pace that the boy had used on him. In the meantime the thief had also leaned over and begun to kiss his Hikari, massaging his lips open so that he could slide his tongue into the boy's mouth and run it over everything he could - teeth, tongue, everything. The taste was completely intoxicating; Bakura doubted that he would ever get enough of it.

Ryou looked at his thief king, his gaze softening as he felt the thief's lips on his. He could not help but arch his back the moment he felt the thief's strokes against his member, pushing him over the edge but not quite at the same time. His lips parted again and again, trying his best to push his hips forward. His eyes narrowed down, teeth gritting at every time he would stop the rush of pleasure and yet, he was thankful that it did not end soon. His lips contorted in pain the moment Bakura stopped him from reaching his peak. "B-Bakura!" he exclaimed, a tone of irritation cloaked in his moan. His chest heaved while his eyes stared up at the thief king. He pulled him in another mind-numbing kiss before it happened again- his release was once again stopped by the thief king's gestures, causing the boy to moan in frustration. There was a thin coat of sweat covering both of them despite the temperature of the floor below them. He gulped, eyes trying to stay awake for as long as he could. The pleasure and the frustration were apparently too much for the boy.

The boy tried to do something- reach for anything but it seems that the thief king's hold was too much for him to overpower. The boy growled, glaring at his thief king before embedding his nails on his shoulders in an attempt to simply touch something. "Hurry up and enter me," he whispered, eyes almost desperate for that amount of bliss. He knew that the thief was close too- from the way that the thief was acting. He growled in frustration when his order was not granted once more, eyes narrowing down somewhat dangerously. He hated it when the thief tried to do antics like this- especially when he was this frustrated. Ryou ran a hand through the thief's hair before pulling him down with a single yank and kissing him vigorously. He could feel Bakura's erection pressed against him somewhere and yet, he could not exactly pinpoint the location of the body part- mostly because he was trying to focus on his own pleasure. One could think that Ryou is simply selfish that way.

"Damnit, Kura!" he exclaimed, his eyes flashing with slight annoyance when he felt something poking him. He gasped and just like that, Ryou melted into goo once more, feeling the thief's member within him. He groaned, eyes closing immediately due to the wave of immense pleasure. It hit him like a ton of bricks but when the thief simply stayed there, something within the boy somewhat snapped. He growled once more, his actions starting to get somewhat animalistic as he reached in for another kiss. He attempted to move his hips to make friction or at least do something to make the thief move. "Kura- damn! Please, move!" he exclaimed, his voice somewhat desperate this time.. Bakura was careful to keep his expression neutral save for his ever-present smirk, but found it increasingly more difficult to hold back his laughter. He was having way too much fun with this, with the way Ryou was complaining and grabbing and doing whatever he could to just feel more pleasure for himself. He had reduced the boy to the mess he was now: the feeling was crazy and empowering, making Bakura almost delirious with pleasure. Eventually he decided to consent to what Ryou wanted, but not before toying with him a bit more first.

Bakura pushed himself inside his host and remained there for some time, making as if he were trying to adjust to the feeling. There was nothing to really adjust to now, however, as he had just been inside Ryou not too long ago. He could tell that Ryou was unhappy with his inaction by his tone and expression alone, but when the boy began to push against Bakura to try and get him to move, the thief growled and put his hands on his Hikari's waist to hold him down. "Is that any way to talk your Yami?" he hissed. For a second it was like before, when they had been in the same body and Ryou had fought against him within his mind, only now Bakura wasn't being serious. Rather, he was being playful, albeit very cruelly so. "If you don't ask nicely, Ryou, I'm not going to do anything."

After a few moments he ended up relenting a little bit, moving slowly and shallowly, almost not enough to please either of them. Bakura let out a soft half-laugh as he moved. _You never used to be this impatient..._ he thought, allowing the boy to set his own pace and slowly building up to match it. But when Ryou cried out that he was getting close, Bakura once again stopped his motions and held onto the boy to prevent him from meeting his release. He wasn't going to let things finish so soon, not when Ryou had gotten away with what he had done earlier. This was a way for Bakura to remind his host that he owned the boy and wouldn't simply allow things to go one way. If Ryou wanted to be cruel, then Bakura would be just as bad, maybe even worse if he felt like it.

Tears of frustration were trickling down his cheeks but the reaction of his body was betraying him. His body squirmed at the emotional trauma that he was experiencing- mostly because it was putting him in a different level of pleasure. "K-K-Kura!' he exclaimed, begging for the thief to move even the least bit faster as he aimed to reach that familiar peak but to no avail. He arched his back before shaking his head. He was slicked enough to be able to move against the floor but the jagged floor was slowly hurting his back as well.

He laughed and licked away one of the tears that had spilled from his boy's eyes. "Don't cry, love," he whispered, voice mockingly gentle. "I'll give you what you want... but I want to hear you beg for it first." His voice had dropped now to become nothing more than a husky breath, right next to Ryou's ear just as a tongue slipped out to lick him again. Bakura tried something that he knew drove him wild, wondering if maybe the same thing would affect Ryou: He took the boy's earlobe between his teeth and bit down softly, closing his lips around it and sucking softly. The thief used his tongue to stroke the flesh teasingly; the thought that this might push Ryou even closer to the edge was what fueled Bakura. _Go on, Ryou. Beg and scream for me and I'll be happy to let you come. I'm willing to wait as long as it takes._

The boy was already getting impatient, his cheeks flushed due to the pleasure of their bodies touching ever so slightly as Bakura started to increase his torture. "K-Kura," he whispered, trying his best to gain control of his body and even his mind but to no avail. His thoughts were only of the thief king- everything focused on him and yet, the thief king seemed to simply ignore his previous pleads. "P-Please, Bakura-sama," he whimpered, a soft moan coming from his plump lips. He looked at the thief, eyes slightly watery from the pain of the rigid floor. "I highly doubt that you want to continue going so slow. I know that you love entering me fast and hard... Moving roughly within me like there's no tomorrow," he whispered, fingers massaging the thief's scalp. He knew that he lost the battle for dominance and yet, he could still be little seductive when he wanted to. The boy parted his lips again and again, whispering the thief's name. Ryou knew that Bakura loved hearing his name like that- especially if the boy's tone was getting as erotic as this.

"So long... So hard inside me- barely fitting... Stretching me and moving too slowly," he whispered, moaning in mid-sentence as he tried his best to further arouse the thief- if that was possible. "Please... Please go harder! Y-You know how I want it, Baku," he cooed, groaning the moment he felt his breath against his ear. Ryou's breathing hitched, back arching at the sudden thought that entered in his mind. Bakura could be so damned seductive when he wishes to be and the boy hated it when the tables were turned against him. He moved his hips, trying to at least angle himself so that Bakura would start hitting his prostate- but to no avail. It was as if the thief was hell-bent in thrusting everywhere- save for that spot that made him see stars. "Fuck, Bakura!" he exclaimed, his voice obviously irritated with the way his thief was acting. Playtime was good- but not when he was close to reaching that oh-so blissful release. However, once more, the wave of pleasure passed by and the boy was not on the wave. He growled, his arousal aching with the need to reach the peak that was constantly snatched away from him.

The moment the thief's tongue left his mouth and started to graze along his ear lobe, Ryou stiffened. He knew that spot was sensitive to the thief but damn, it really did feel good. Chills were sent down his spine, his hand gripping on the thief's hair in an attempt to ask him to do something more- anything that he was willing to do to Ryou. The boy eventually gave in to the thief's desires and started whimpering. The scene was familiar- him somewhat crying while his Yami was enjoying the torture. Of course, the boy was totally enjoying what they were doing but the boy was frustrated already- all of his self control and manners thrown out the window the moment the thief started to tease him. "Please... Please Bakura-sama. Please... Kura! I need you. I-I need you to move faster... harder... deeper inside me! I-I-I need to come," he squeaked out, his member twitching slightly. He was close- very close to the thing he wanted and yet, Bakura was not even giving it to him. "Please... F-F-Fuck me. F-Fill me with your seed," he begged, tears brimming near his eyes.

He had to admit, Ryou was very good at using his words to get what he wanted. Bakura's resolve was slipping fast, not only because of the tone and words Ryou were using, but also because of his own impatience. It was true; he didn't want to go so slow: in truth he wanted to go at his own pace and show the boy just how rough he could be when he wanted to, but was able to stop himself by saying that this was all going to be worth it. And it was. Bakura couldn't hold back a moan when Ryou started begging, feeling almost closer to his own release just for hearing that. "That's better," he breathed, still not moving from his spot near Ryou's ear. "Now, was that really so hard, love?" He bit down on the boy's earlobe again, and just as he promised, began to move at a pace that Ryou would appreciate more. He was still holding onto the boy's length, only now his hold had loosened enough that Ryou would be able to finally reach his peak. To help him with that, Bakura began to stroke him almost lazily until deciding against it and just thrusting in and out of his Yadonushi quickly.

"D-damn it, Ryou... you feel so good... so... so tight... I w-want you all for myself. I won't let anyone else touch you, ever... gods, I love being inside you, hearing you scream for me... let me hear your beautiful voice again. Say my name, Ryou. Scream it for me." He continued to move in and out of Ryou, thrusting in harder each time and gripping onto the boy's hips as if he would fall away if Bakura didn't hold on. It was getting harder to see, harder to breathe... Bakura was surprised he could even think as clearly as he was doing. Soon he finally reached his peak, but did his best to hold back until he felt Ryou's muscles clench down around them. At the same time as his Yadonushi, he finally released himself, crying out loudly by screaming the boy's name. He continued to ride out his orgasm by moving against Ryou. Stars were exploding behind his eyelids and for a while Bakura had lost all sense of where he was and what he was doing.

* * *

All Bakura was aware of was Ryou's voice and body beneath him, clinging to him and crying out. _Yadonushi... Ryou... I love you. Never leave me._ Ryou curled up next to the thief king, sighing lightly at the warmth beside him. He felt safe- loved beside the thief king to the point that he was ready to fall asleep next to him. "I love you too, Bakura-sama. I'll never leave you- even after death," he whispered, placing his head on the thief's chest. By then, the thief would be able to see the different cuts and bruises on the boy's back, some blood staining his pale skin. In truth, it looked like a sadistic painting of some sort- and Ryou's body was the canvas.. A small, almost invisible smile came over Bakura's features as Ryou spoke to the thief. He was careful to hold Ryou gently, not wanting to agitate the wounds, but this comfort was not exactly long-lasting. The pair immediately heard clapping from the nearby door. The thief tensed up immediately when he heard noise coming from nearby. How long had Zorc been watching them? His gentle expression soon hardened into something that seemed much more fitting to the King of Thieves: narrowed eyes were glaring into the distance where the form of the High Priest stood. He looked angry, defiant, but kept his tone even as he spoke: "Lord Zorc." It was a curt greeting, but sounded respectful all the same, especially with the bow of the thief's head.

Seth, no, Zorc was indeed leaning against the door frame. The dark lord looked amused but at the same time, it was obvious that he was pissed off at the position that they were in. The thief's cloak covered most of the important places and yet, the position that they were in was obviously provocative. The evil lord's eyes narrowed the moment his eyes trailed to the boy's back, smirking. The boy was a masochist or at least, that was what the evil lord derived from the awkward marks on the boy's skin. His eyes then trailed to the thief and it looked like the boy managed to do a sizable damage on the thief as well. Maybe, he was good enough to be a minion as well. The evil lord licked his lips as he looked at the heap of white fluff in the corner. Their love was twisted and yet pure at the same time. This boy would be perfect for black mail in case the thief decided to turn against him. Also, the boy looked like he was going to be loyal to both of them- even if Bakura gives him the blade to end Ryou's own life.

"I take it that you enjoyed my absence," he whispered, his smirk reappearing as he walked towards the Millennium Items. He was carrying a brown sack and the evil lord simply threw the items inside. "Let us move to a more comfortable bed. I would not want the youngest of us to think that I am not considerate to his needs. One of the houses here still has a bed and some clothes to spare," he muttered before walking away from the tablet.

The younger boy looked at the thief, sitting up as he looked around. Ryou was trying to think of something that would cover him- anything that would shield him from the raging sandstorm near the torn village.

Short movements were made and soon the thief had tossed his deep red cloak onto his Yadonushi. Bakura was not shy about his body in the least, and besides, he was quick to dress in what other clothing he had. Ryou seemed to want and need the cloak more than Bakura at the moment, so it was a small sacrifice to make. He laughed shortly, smirking like he usually would. "Looks good on you," he commented. It was hard to tell whether he was teasing, mocking, or if he was actually telling the truth. But when Ryou's knees buckled, Bakura was quick to kneel down and check if he was okay. _Maybe I overdid it a little..._he thought. But before he could ask if Ryou was all right, he was given an order from Zorc. Luckily it was one the thief had planned on doing even without the consent of the dark god.

Ryou looked at the thief, blushing deeply as he avoided his gaze. In truth, he can't even look at the thief after the steamy scene that played out before them. It was just too much to handle all at once and yet, he would not have it any other way. Ryou stood up only to find his knees buckling before he fell down on his knees. Arms slid underneath Ryou's legs and around his waist to hold his back and Bakura lifted the body up off the ground. Ryou had been light before, but in this body he was even lighter. Though Bakura's legs were still shaking slightly too due to their recent activities. He still didn't have all of his energy left, and he would much rather have taken a moment to rest, or even better, sleep. But Zorc would not be made to wait.

Bakura remained silent as he carried Ryou into the village proper, simply following after the figure of Priest Seth as he made his way towards one of the more well-preserved homes. The thief recognized this one, as all the others, and knew what was inside. He remembered foraging through many homes after the massacre, both immediately after and later on when he had come back to what he still called his home. The ghosts of the villagers were still flitting about, Bakura noticed now that he looked. Had they been down there watching him and Ryou at the time, or had they known to keep their distance? He hoped it was the latter but realized it probably didn't matter all that much either way. They seemed to scatter again when they reached their apparent destination, which would have been wise had they had an actual physical form. The moment they reached a hut, a particular blonde was fixing the bed that Ryou was supposed to be placed on. The dark lord welcomed with a smirk. "You really should thank him. He fixed everything. You have been a convenient pawn, Marik."

What Bakura saw waiting for them inside made his anger spike. "Marik..." he hissed. Carefully, the thief deposited Ryou on the bed that had just been prepared. It was hardly lavish and seemed to be decaying a bit, but it was the best it could be in the dead village of Kul Elna. "I thought we got rid of you once and for all. What are you doing back?"

The Egyptian simply laughed and gestured to the High Priest on the other side of the room. "You could say I had a bit of help..." He chuckled darkly, kneeling down on the bed next to Ryou and taking the boy's hand. He leaned in close, too close, violating the distance Ryou liked to keep between himself and everyone else (with the possible exception of Bakura). "Though I'm nowhere near as high on the dark lord's favorites list as you are, Bakura... I was promised a _reward_in exchange for my loyalty. A few rewards, actually..." His eyes shifted from the King of Thieves to the boy that was in his hold. A hand snaked its way around Ryou's waist, tracing his side gently. He twisted his head a little bit so that he was right against Ryou's cheek, flicking his tongue out and licking slowly, mocking Bakura. The thief looked about ready to attack the Egyptian, but was held back by what he could only assume was Zorc's will.

"Ah-ah, Bakura. Are you angry? _Jealous_ that I'm so close to _your_Yadonushi? I missed him so much in the Shadow Realm... the way he would writhe and scream, how he reacted to pain... but of course, you know all about that, don't you?" He laughed darkly. Bakura's eyes closed and he let out a strained breath, clenching his fists. He couldn't do anything but wait and hope that something would stop Marik - because the dark god had already stopped him from doing so.

"Let go of him," Bakura breathed. His voice was so low, so dangerous, any sane person would have immediately recognized the pure fury and backed away. This, however, was far from any sane person. Marik simply laughed, and in a show of pity, pulled his face away from Ryou's. He did not let the boy out of his grip, however. "You should learn to share, Thief."

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**Preview for Chapter 29: **Punishment.

_I won't let that happen again,_ he assured the boy. He still blamed himself for what had happened. _I shouldn't have let it go so far in the first place. It's my fault..._ He took Ryou's face in his hands and kissed the boy gently, slowly, hoping that his love would show through the gesture. Ryou really was so strong... much stronger than anyone even realized. Bakura stroked his hair softly as he pulled away from their kiss. Maybe what they needed now was just a little rest, alone, away from everyone but each other.


	29. Punishment

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hi guys! First term of the school year is finally done and over with. Ergo, I should have more time to fix this story and update my other story with Chiba-kun. My new post for THAT story is late again which makes me so sad. So Chiba-kun, if you're reading this, yes I'm procrastinating but on the upside, I have one sentence written out? Yeah, I suck. T_T

This chapter would make the readers hate Zorc to the highest degree. I just see it now.

Oh! I would like to thank the other readers who placed this story in their favorite list. It means a lot to know that you enjoy the story even though you do not review the story. It also makes me happy to see the traffic of this story. I'm just really happy, period? Since you guys made me so happy, I'm submitting a new chapter even if it has not been a week yet! ;3

I cannot say that this is a chapter that you should _enjoy_ but I really liked the touching Ryou and Bakura part at the end. You can rush to the last few paragraphs if you do not like smut. We do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of the characters. If we did, Bakura would call Ryou 'Yadonushi-sama' at every frame. :3 If you thought Zorc was a bitch, then you should see what Marik does in this chapter. :|

**Chapter Warnings:** Bloodplay, Smut, Rape

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**Chapter 29: **Punishment

Ryou gasped, seeing Marik once again. He was sure that he was not going to see the Egyptian's darker half until he had to stand in front of Osiris and his scales. His heart leapt in its place as he glanced at the Egyptian, clutching on the thief's red robe. It was those stupid eyes that made the boy feel even weaker- if that was possible. The boy closed his eyes tightly as he felt his tongue graze his cheek, causing him to gasp. The boy's cheeks flushed, still afraid of what Marik could do to him. A shudder ran down his spine as he took a side-glance at Marik. This was the person that took everything away from Ryou. This was the person that Ryou loathed the most.

Every second of watching Ryou get touched by Marik made Bakura grow more and more angry. The thief's fists tightened even more to show how obviously he was trying to restrain himself, or perhaps how much he was fighting to break out of this weird paralysis that the dark lord had caused. He couldn't fight against Zorc even if he wanted to: it was too risky. But whether he fought or not, Bakura was unknowingly opening up some new cuts on his palms by digging his nails in too hard. Had he not just told Ryou that he would never allow anyone to touch the boy again? But now he couldn't help it; he was powerless and being forced to watch this; that was all that could be said.

The dark lord let out a soft chuckle, his right arm resting on the thief's back as he pressed part of his lips against the thief's ear. "Apparently, our little boy is indeed a masochist. From what Marik told me, the boy has a way with words and from what I just witnessed a while ago, I would not be surprised as to why Marik actually took him from you," he whispered while running a finger against the thief's wounds. The dark lord knew that the thief had grown accustomed to the pain and somewhat felt a sick and twisted pleasure of inflicting and receiving pain; however, Ryou was somewhat different. The boy was certainly intriguing. The dark lord urged the other Egyptian to move out of place before sitting next to Ryou. "Let me just try something," he whispered before licking along the pale boy's cheek

Zorc then proceeded to doing something else. Grabbing a knife, he placed it against the boy's neck. Ryou was shaking but he knew better than to push the dark lord away. The boy knew that he had to be in Zorc's favor in order to stay with Bakura and this was just a small price to pay. The dark lord pressed the blade against the pale boy's skin, before drawing a straight line. A small amount of blood poured out as the boy moaned in pleasure. The mere reaction made the dark lord very amused as he created another cut and yet again, the reaction was the same. Even if the boy looked so tired and yet so innocent, Ryou wanted more pain. Maybe it was because the boy already developed a strong resistance against the pain but this was just ridiculous. The dark lord glanced at the boy before noticing that the boy was already squirming in delight. He frowned before walking away from him, leaving the boy panting and in the brink of insanity.

The anger that Bakura felt was beginning to overwhelm him - he could feel that dark presence in his mind again that he normally would relate to Zorc. It made sense; the god was back, so naturally he would probably be affecting the thief in some way. He just hadn't been expecting _this_ - to suddenly be trying to suppress a shudder caused by the dark lord. Bakura's eyes narrowed, but not in a threatening way - it was subtle, but this was a way of him showing pleasure. And with the hand that was on his back, pressing against his wounds... it nearly made the thief shiver in delight. But he was able to hold it back enough that anyone watching wouldn't notice. Since Zorc was touching him, however, the small tremble would be unmistakable.

Thankfully, the god seemed to be more preoccupied with his own thoughts and made his way towards Ryou. Bakura wanted so badly to lash out and take his Hikari away from Marik before anything worse could happen to him, but he knew he couldn't defy his god. And besides that, there was sick sense of curiosity the thief felt. What would Zorc do? Would he please Ryou in the way that Marik was trying to, or would he just hurt the boy? Bakura didn't dare say it out loud for fear that it may happen, but there was a part of him that wanted to see the boy twisting and writhing in pain (not in a malicious way, however). It had always been a sick fascination that Bakura had possessed but never acted on.

"Bakura-sama," he whispered, hating his body as of the moment. He hated having Bakura there while he was squirming in delight in the hands of another. In Ryou's perspective, he must have looked pretty pathetic, acting that way with the dark lord. He hated having these kinds of reaction. And most of all, he hated that he actually enjoyed it. There was something uncomfortably arousing about watching his Yadonushi be stimulated like this. Bakura had to swallow lightly to try and regain his composure, but his mind was wandering. And even when Zorc was trying to please the boy, it was Bakura that Ryou called out for. It made the thief smirk, but instantly he went back to his detached facade when he noticed the dark god coming back towards him.

Soon enough it seemed Bakura was rewarded for his patience with arms being wrapped around him and a blade being pressed into his skin. He hissed slightly, closing his eyes almost as if in concentration. "Why don't you press harder, my Lord?" The thief asked, voice quivering slightly with his growing arousal. He was smirking again, suddenly, glancing at Zorc out of the corner of his eyes. "You cut Ryou so much deeper..."

"It looks like your little love slave does respond to pain quite well. He already has an erection after just a few small cuts. I do commend him for moaning out YOUR name even if I was the one granting him pleasure. Well, I guess he would learn that he has to worship me above you," the dark lord's eyes flashed dangerously at the thief king, his grip tightening around the tomb robber. "I am the only god here."

Bakura had barely noticed what was going on; Marik's actions may not have even happened for the Thief King. Even the Egyptian's voice sounded distant to him - only one thing was surfacing in his mind, and that was the dark god. "The only God..." He repeated; voice distant as if Bakura wasn't even thinking about it anymore. Marik tensed up even more, knowing what was coming next. Bakura's unfocused eyes turned to meet Ryou's. "Yes... you are the only God. My God - Our God."

As it may have sounded, the dark being did as he was told by simply deepening the cuts. At every cut, the dark lord would glide against the scarred skin and automatically, it would heal. Zorc was still a mystic being after all- and healing was simply an easy feat for the death bringer. Seth's eyes were deep silver in color, a color that signified that he was under the influence of the dark lord. He looked at the pale Hikari on the bed, noticing that he was squirming even more than ever the moment Marik's hands slipped in between his thighs. "It looks like your Yadonushi truly loves pain. Maybe I should let you have your fun with him, seeing that _positive_reaction," he whispered, gesturing to the bulge in the thief king's garments. The thief king's body was totally exposed after all- save for the black shorts that hugged tightly around the thief's waist. The dark lord then gave the thief the blade before getting the Millennium Rod. He grinned lightly, discarding the sheath of the item and showing the blade concealed beneath it.

Bakura had figured out the game that Zorc was playing. Having Marik here only added to the fun, it seemed. He ignored the fact that said Egyptian was licking at Ryou's neck sensually. "Mmm, Yadonushi..." Marik breathed. Using that title was another jab at Bakura, but Marik found the name actually suited Ryou. "Is it really Bakura that makes you squirm like this? Or is it just the idea that someone is willing to give you what you want?" He kissed down the length of the boy's neck to his shoulder and nipped at the skin, drawing a small amount of blood. He didn't bite down to leave a mark yet, more intent on simply opening the skin than marking it. Of course the Egyptian licked up the pooling red liquid, giving a small satisfied laugh at the taste. His one hand travelled down Ryou's side to trace over his leg, stopping when it reached his inner thigh. Marik rubbed gentle circles for a moment; then began to scratch at the sensitive flesh with the intent of releasing yet another small amount of blood. It was sensually painful.

"Hm, are you willing to wait for your precious Bakura to please you...? Or would you rather I just did it now? It would be so easy... all I have to do is move my hand and I'll be touching you where you want to be touched." Another small laugh and a flick of the tongue against Ryou's bleeding neck. He kept his eyes trained on Bakura and Zorc the entire time, as if waiting for more instructions or permission to go even further than he already was.

At the dark lord's words, Marik's grip on Ryou tightened imperceptibly. His eyes had narrowed, but the only person that might have noticed was Ryou, because the Thief King and the Dark God were too absorbed in each other to really be paying attention to Marik. Though it had been Zorc that brought him back, and he had promised the god his loyalty in return, Marik could not accept that this was the only god. He still felt more attached to the Sun God Ra, oddly enough, but he kept silent about it. After all, it had been Ra that had fought beside him and accepted him as its first master. At least until the damned Pharaoh got involved... Ra had been his god. He was more than willing to do whatever Zorc asked of him, but the dark lord's words set him at unease.

The boy was squirming, his hand pressed against his mouth. _'W-What was that sound,'_he thought as he arched his back, feeling the soft caress on his inner thighs. He hated being touched by the tan person beside him and yet, feeling the rough fingers against his soft inner thighs. A moan escaped from his lips once more as tears started to trickle down his cheeks. He could feel the heat rush to his cheeks and his whole body at the same time. He looked at his thief king, watching them as the dark lord pulled the thief king towards the boy. The other two had blades at hands, making the boy's eyes widen in fear. "B-Bakura-sama," he whispered, watching the dark lord parted his thighs even more. His lower lip quivered the moment he felt the tip of the Millennium Rod against his inner thighs. "K-Kura!" he exclaimed, feeling the creation of a cut on his inner thighs. His body shivered, bucking his hips towards the blade to create a deeper cut. His body was tired and bruised and yet, having the dark lord open him up like this was simply divine (as ironic as it may sound).

The moment a few deep cuts were created on the boy's inner thighs, Seth left the bed only to have the thief king take his place. "Go on ahead, Akefia. I know that you get a twisted pleasure when the boy writhes like this. You do know that you have to share your treasures to us," he cooed before pressing the thief king against the boy. In truth, the dark lord was actually amused by the situation. The boy was slowly getting corrupted- both physically and mentally. It was obvious that the boy was easy to seduce and it was easy to satisfy his lust. Maybe, this innocent kid could be their key against the pharaoh. The dark lord created a cut on the thief's back, licking the crimson liquid that would trickle down from it. "The boy's blood tastes sweet but I still prefer your blood. You told me before that this boy is actually friends with the pharaoh's host, am I right? Then maybe, we use that as our advantage. The High Priest can get us back inside the palace but we need to plan this carefully."

Bakura listened to Zorc's words carefully, smirking at them as if finding it amusing. "Of course," he whispered. He really did not want to share Ryou at all, but what choice did he have? And what the dark lord said was true anyway. He did get that twisted pleasure just seeing Ryou like this... and having someone else because it was almost as arousing as Bakura doing it himself. Now he actually got to watch without thinking about how to keep this going. It felt so strange, so dirty... but as reluctant as he was to admit it, Bakura very much enjoyed this. What he enjoyed more, however, was actually being the one to please Ryou himself. Bakura took the knife with a smirk before turning his gaze on to his Hikari. His eyes were narrowed in a sort of devious leer: It looked like he was planning something.

The thief moved to kneel in front of his Hikari at the dark lord's urging. The blade of the knife was pressed to Ryou's collarbone and dragged down slowly. Bakura watched as a steady stream of blood trickled down to Ryou's chest. Instead of licking it up like he may have wanted to, the thief just found it more entertaining to gaze at the marks being left and the blood that hadn't been consumed. It was odd in that Ryou's body looked like some twisted work of art, something that only the three dark beings in the room would likely appreciate. And even as he gazed at his light counterpart, the thief arched his back, feeling similar cuts opening up on his back and then something lapping up the excess blood. "Y-yes," he hissed, though whether it was in response to Zorc's words or the pleasure he was creating was hard to tell.

Ryou was simply writhing in pleasure, groaning and moaning. Sounds of immense pleasure would slip through his lips once in a while but he kept his hand pressed firmly against his lips. He did not want this and yet, he also enjoyed it- or at least, his body did. "M-Marik..." he whispered the moment he felt the tan hands on him once more. He hated his own reactions and the tears that were brimming reflected that desperation. He did not like it when he was this desperate and yet, it was as if his body was moving on its own accord. "P-Please... M-Mariku... B-Bakura... Z-Zorc-sama," he whispered, earning a grin from the dark lord. Marik couldn't help but laugh at the way Ryou and his darkness were squirming. He pulled the boy into his lap and watched as Bakura and Zorc continued their own respective work. When Bakura finally began to lick up some stray trails of blood from Ryou's shoulder, Marik mimicked the thief on the other side. But that wasn't nearly satisfying enough for Marik; he wished to join in on feeling the pain as well. Despite only being here because of the dark lord, it was still himself that the Egyptian looked out for the most. He would do as he was told but only for the pleasure it would grant him.

A chill ran down his spine when Ryou begged for him. "Did you hear that, Bakura?" He hissed, smirking at the thief smugly. "It's not only you that he calls out for. You think it's you that the boy wants? It isn't. All he wants is pleasure... you're as much a toy for him as he is for you." He chuckled darkly, eyes still on the thief king's narrowed ones. Bakura remained silent since his mouth was being put to better use, but the venom in his stare was unmistakable. In his mind, he simply thought,_ I'll kill you for that._But there was still a part of him that almost believed Marik. Why else would Ryou call out for someone else like that?

Zorc's tongue would constantly lick the thief's back before licking the thief's ear. "It looks like your Yadonushi is in desperate need for attention. Such a naughty host you have, Bakura," he whispered before biting his ear. Ryou lifted his head, his lips pressing against his hand even more, "Please... Please hurt me," he whispered, another hand gripping on Marik's shirt.

"Hurt you? I'd be happy to, Yadonushi." Bakura's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Marik's voice. The Egyptian whispered something to Ryou suddenly so that Bakura could not hear, taking time to harshly bite the shell of the boy's ear. He guided the boy's hands to come around him and grip onto him harder, beneath his shirt so that he could feel the boy's nails digging into his skin. The sting was pleasant, but it still wasn't enough. He gestured to Zorc, silently asking for the Millennium Rod, and when he got it, he gestured towards the thief king with the Millennium Rod.

"Hm, look at this, Yadonushi," Marik whispered. He leaned in close to Ryou. He showed the boy the Millennium Rod, which he was gripping tightly by its blade. Blood could be seen dripping from Marik's closed palm. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what the Millennium Rod can do. If you don't want me to use it on you..." He gestured to Bakura again, laughing darkly. The thief king was currently too distracted with Zorc to overhear what was being said, but Marik waved the rod again anyway and watched as Bakura's eyes dulled a bit. The thief didn't stop moving, but now he wouldn't be able to hear what was being said about him. "You could do anything you want, you know. I simply have to give him the command and he will become completely submissive..." Even Marik couldn't deny how deliciously crazy the idea of a completely submissive Bakura was. It just went so far against the thief's nature. He laughed, loving the thought of it.

At this point, the Egyptian looked up at the dark lord; hoping said god would understand what he was trying to say. Really, he was surprised that Zorc hadn't thought about this sooner. "Of course, I can sever the ties between him and myself easily without killing him afterwards... unless you would rather let him free now. But then again..." His gaze shifted once more to the thief king. "He seems to be just _so_ good at pleasing his host... maybe I'd like a bite for myself."

By now, the boy's cheeks were wet due to the tears that would not stop falling. He hated himself for feeling this way- for feeling this aroused by another's touch and yet, he knew that it was different. Bakura's touches were rough, yes, but they had emotions surging through them. Bakura loved him and it displayed in his actions. Ryou groaned when he was placed on the tomb keeper's lap, his breathing ragged and hitched. His nails dug into the tomb keeper's skin before his hands discarded the other's shirt in the process. Confusion-filled eyes stared at the lavender ones before Ryou began nipping on the other's neck. His body was moving on its own as he pushed Marik to the bed, his hands reaching for the Millennium Rod. The boy's eyes looked down at Marik, his eyes filled with confusion, doubt, hurt, but most prominently, lust. Ryou's eyes narrowed down at him before grabbing he item from Marik, his smirk growing more sinister by the second.

"Release Bakura from the magic. I like him when he's feisty," the dark lord muttered before grabbing the blade and angling it so that it was touching the thief's neck. By now, the dark lord was straddling the thief king's waist, a leg on either side of him. His tongue trailed down to the thief's collarbone, leaving a bite mark here and there. Ryou's body was shaking lightly, his heart turning in both disgust and hurt from the way Zorc was marking Bakura. The thief was his thief but Ryou knew from the start that he could never have said thief king. His body and soul belonged to the evil lord and he could not do anything about it. He pinned Marik to the bed, lower lip quivering in regret of what he was about to do. His body was moving due to the dark lord, yes, but the boy also wanted comfort. He wanted to be rid of this jealousy that he was feeling. He wanted to forget Bakura even for just a while and here was the tomb keeper, sprawled out just for him. The boy needed comfort and Marik was more than willing to give him the pseudo-comfort that he needed. With that, Ryou pressed the blade of the Millennium Rod against the tomb keeper's neck and creating a large gash from the side of his neck to the keeper's shoulder. Blood poured out and the boy simply lapped up the red liquid, groaning slightly at the taste.

Bakura was breathing heavily, eyes hazy and half-lidded as he watched what Ryou was doing with Marik. He couldn't deny anymore just how much he enjoyed watching the two of them, and there had always been something about Marik's Yami that had appealed to the thief king, but this... this was too much for him. Psychotic, hateful tendencies aside, Bakura completely hated the other dark being. Especially now that he was saying these things and taking his Hikari from him...

Said Egyptian grinned as he was pushed back down against the bed. "What are you going to do to me?" He asked, excitement shining through his dark, husky tone quite clearly. His normally narrowed eyes widened with glee when he felt his neck get slashed. That delicious feeling of pain overwhelmed him and he laughed. "I didn't think you could be so rough, boy!" He exclaimed. He was practically writhing in pleasure already at the sting of the boy's tongue against his cut. "I'm going to enjoy playing with you!"

At that, Bakura looked over at what was going on. Rage welled up inside him once more, but the dark lord was there to distract him once again. He bit back a moan at the feel of hands massaging him, shutting his eyes tight and trying to deny that he wanted this. He wanted Ryou, not the dark god in Seth's body. But as the case seemed to be lately, Bakura had no choice. Against his will, he thrust his hips upward into that touch, wanting more, just so that this could be over with. He didn't like hearing Ryou and Marik, and he Ryou would want to know how much his thief was enjoying this. But he couldn't help but scream when he felt Zorc entering him. Something about this was just so wrong, and yet in a way it made the thief king feel complete - like he was already starting to get what he had desired for so long. It was power that he could feel, coming from the dark lord and his own seeming to seep away. Now, Bakura supposed, he truly was the servant of the dark god.

Clothes were immediately discarded on the floor; three tanned men around the pale Hikari. He choked the moment he held down a sob, feeling the dark lord's finger's caressing his cheek. "Don't worry too much, Bakura. The boy is just acting according to what his body's saying," he muttered, hating the fact that he was being tender. He pulled the boy close, looking in to Ryou's eyes before pulling him in a passionate kiss. The kiss was just a distraction for him to fully control the boy, of course. Most likely, the boy would end up trashing about the moment Marik takes him so safety precautions must be made. The dark lord pulled away before returning to his place on top of the thief king. He gazed at the erect member, massaging it in between his fingers. "You're as naughty as your host, Akefia. Don't take this against the boy, thief king. He's already in... heat, shall we say," he whispered before taking his own length in his hands.

The dark lord guided himself near the thief king's entrance, grinning lightly as he looked down at his face. The usually composed thief king was now beneath him and ready for the taking. He smirked at the thief king before entering him fully, groaning at the tightness. The hole itself was tight but due to their recent activities, it was still bit slippery inside so it was not that hard for him to maneuver his way within the thief king. He grinned at the thief king before creating a huge gash on his chest, crimson blood oozing from the cut. The dark lord found himself rather amused and with the thief being submissive and yet still fiery in bed. He grabbed a spare cloth and then tied it around the base of the thief's length in order to prevent him from releasing for now. The dark lord bit down hard on the thief's ear before shoving within him. Ryou's eyes were wide open with both fear and fascination, getting aroused at the sight of his thief king being dominated like that. The sounds coming from him were a mixture of sounds that he just heard and new ones as well.

"Louder, Akefia. Your Yadonushi's watching you intently. Put up a good show for him," he cooed, his movements getting rougher after every thrust. The boy wrapped his arms around Marik's neck, burying his face on the crook of his neck. He did not want to see the look on Bakura's face but the moment he groaned out in pleasure; Ryou could not help but to moan softly in tune as well. "M-Marik," he whispered, gripping on the tomb keeper's upper arms. He was on Marik's lap once more, their lengths pressing against each other every time the boy would move. His eyes locked eyes with the tomb keeper, his cheeks flushed due to the heat. "M-Mariku..." he cooed once more, but this time, there was a certain sense of sensuality in his voice- as if he was indirectly seducing the tomb keeper. The dark lord could only smirk in amusement, groaning as he drove in deeper; his hands massaging the thief's wounded chest. "Looks like your Yadonushi can't hold back as well."

The King of Thieves gritted his teeth and growled, already realizing that the same tactic he had just used on Ryou was now being used against him. He pushed back against the evil god, taking him in deeper but never once asking for more. One did not simply ask something from their god without offering something in return, especially with one like Zorc. He reached up and gripped tightly to the High Priest's shoulders, pulling him to move at another angle. He was angry with himself for being reduced to this, but he couldn't deny his body the pleasure it was seeking from Zorc. Bakura growled and cried out, deciding to be obedient to what Zorc asked of him. If the dark god wanted him to be louder, he couldn't defy that order.

Marik looked away from the scene in front of him shortly after the dark god had entered his servant's body. He had no interest in them for the time being - he may have wanted a taste of a more submissive Bakura, but evidently that was not going to happen any time soon. It wasn't even that Marik felt attracted to Bakura: there was a hint of lust, sure, but the tomb keeper felt that towards everyone at some point or another. What he really desired was the chance to hurt both Bakura and his host in an entirely new way. If he took Ryou, he would damage Bakura, but if he took the thief... that could possibly break the boy that was currently in his arms. But Zorc seemed to be doing a good enough job of that already. He looked back at the Ryou at the sound of the boy's deep tone, smirking darkly at him. "Yes... I know what you want now. I'm all too happy to give it to you, Yadonushi. Now, turn around. On your knees."

He waited until Ryou positioned himself, then took the Millennium Rod back from him and pressed it to the boy's back. He carved a few marks into the boy's skin that everyone in this room but Ryou himself would recognize. They were simple glyphs that had a simple meaning. "This will be the second time I've had you," Marik hissed before sharply entering Ryou. He took firm hold of the boy's hips and dug his nails in. Without even waiting for consent, as Bakura might have, the Egyptian began moving in and out of Ryou at an already rough pace. He had no sense of delicacy, and besides, the boy seemed to both like and want it rough right now.

"R-Ryou..." Marik's eyes wandered to where Bakura was lying beneath the dark lord. Said thief's eyes were half-lidded and glazed over, his lips parted slightly and blood still trailing out from his mouth. The Egyptian smirked at the thief as if rubbing it in that he was the one taking Bakura's precious Yadonushi, gloating about how weak the thief's voice sounded and how helpless he was to change anything right now. Truly, this was the perfect victory. Even as Zorc continued thrusting into and out of Bakura, the thief watched what was going on with Ryou, rage only building in spite of the pleasure he was feeling.

Ryou's lower half was raised towards the Egyptian, his shoulder and chest making contact with the mattress. His head was tilted in an awkward position while his hands simply lay helplessly to the side. The moment the Egyptian entered him, the boy groaned, wincing at the slight pain. Marik was just slightly smaller in comparison to the thief king but the size still hurt. His eyes looked at Bakura, groans of pleasure emitting more from him in comparison to the both of them. His body was trembling, tears continuously falling from his eyes. He did not want it to end this way nor did he want to be taken by someone else. At the same time, such act could not be considered as rape for his body was still enjoying the act. His hips would buck towards Marik in a helpless attempt to meet him halfway only to have the tomb keeper slam within him once more. What they were doing surely felt empty- as if they were just in it for the pleasure and although the boy's length was aching with need, he knew that there was only one person that he wanted.

The moment he heard his name called, he weakly looked at the thief king. Bakura was reduced to a disheveled mess as the dark lord continuously took advantage of him. He moved so that they were already near each other, his hand finding the thief king's hand. He looked up at the dark lord, seemingly asking for permission. By now, the High Priest's body was shaking with bliss as he pushed harder at every time. _'It'll be alright,'_he told the thief king through their mind link. Their fingers interlaced before the small boy took the cloth that was restraining the thief's shaft. Ryou's vision was slowly fading, whimpering at the painful movements that Marik was making. His body bruised from the tight grip Marik had on hip but as of that moment, Ryou felt as if the only people in the room was him and Marik. His other hand grazed against the sensitive need, his tongue leaving his mouth as it started to massage the thief's length. The boy knew that the other two would simply think of this act as another 'kink' that Ryou had but in truth, he just wanted to let his thief know that the connection was still there.

In contrast to what the dark lord was doing, Ryou was softly worshiping the other's length. His tongue would flick slowly while his hand would slowly graze against the skin. From the looks of it, neither of the submissive white haired boys was going to hold it in for long. Ryou then took the other's length in his mouth, softly sucking on the other's length. Ryou would whimper and moan softly as he was sucking on his length but at the same time, the white haired boy tried his best to remain composed. He was not as loud as he was and it was something that he knew Bakura would be unhappy about. "Hmmm... You and your host are mine. Marik is also my faithful servant. We will plunge the world into darkness and we shall make a new world!" the dark lord exclaimed before laughing insanely. His body spasmed for a few moments before releasing all of the High Priest's seed within the white-haired thief. The dark lord pulled out with a groan, looking at the boy who was servicing both beings of darkness.

It did not take Ryou long before he started cleaning the thief's length from the juices that erupted from it. Soon enough, the boy was also shaking from his own orgasm, his juices staining the lush sheets. He felt that he was getting filled, screaming out incoherent words along with the thief's name. Yes, the boy actually exclaimed Bakura's name the moment he reached his peak. The moment the tomb keeper finished his 'task', he followed the dark lord as he started to pick up his discarded clothes on the floor. "Marik and I will be going to the city for some supplies. We're going to have a feast tomorrow before executing our plan against the pharaoh. That damned son of Osiris would meet his downfall today!" the dark lord uttered before leaving the little shanty to the two white heads. Marik had simply followed the dark god out of the abandoned home, giving one last look at Bakura and his Yadonushi before he went. Once again mocking them, he lifted his hand, still coated slightly in Ryou's seed, and licked his fingers clean. He gave a short, nasty laugh when he finished and turned away. In truth, the Egyptian felt as if something from that little session was lacking. If Bakura hadn't been there to distract the boy, maybe then it would have been even more pleasurable. But the simple fact that what was happening was slowly killing both of them almost made up for that fact.

When they were gone, Bakura closed his eyes and straightened up a bit so that he was sitting down properly instead of in the half-laying, slumped over position he had been in. He hated that he had been reduced to that, in front of Ryou of all people... and he had been helpless. Bakura had never been helpless, but now... the feeling was starting to make itself known to him. He hated it; hated himself...

Ryou crawled in between Bakura's thighs, cleaning up the excess seed that was within his lover. He hated having to taste the sickening liquid that was present near his inner thighs but he also wanted to rid Bakura of as much of it as he could. The thief looked away from Ryou as he felt the boy start to clean him up. Even after all that, he was still trying to help? _Why?_ He asked._ Why are you still doing this?_He had done what he could to reassure the thief king of their connection, and said thief had felt it through everything... in every movement Ryou made, Bakura could feel the love and affection shining through. It just made him loathe himself all the more; he had let this happen to both of them, even after he had told the boy that he wouldn't allow anyone else to touch him...

The boy then looked at his lover before crawling out of the bed before making his wobbly way towards the discarded cloth on the floor. He grabbed what was left of his dress before he started to clean the thief's wounds. He did not have any anti-septic nearby so he simply licked the wound in order to stop it from bleeding. The moment that the thief was fully 'clean', the boy collapsed beside him, wrapping his arms around his darker counterpart. The boy was shaking, tears running down his cheeks. "B-Bakura-sama... Bakura..." he whispered, gripping as tight as he could on the white-haired Yami. It was as if the boy was scared- scared that the thief would suddenly float away. He looked at the boy before pressing their lips together in a soft kiss. "I love you, Bakura-sama... P-Please... D-D-Don't. D-Don't let them do that again," he whispered, jealousy, care, hurt, anxiety, and most of all, pure love was running through their mind link. He was scared that he might lose his thief for a second time. No, he could not have Bakura surrender to Zorc like that again.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, voice so uncharacteristically quiet and broken. To prevent Ryou from hearing his tone again, he opted to say it over their mind link. _I'm sorry... so, so sorry..._his arms came around the boy too, hands resting on his back and digging in as if he thought Ryou might melt away if he didn't hold on tightly enough. His grip was so tight that the thief accidentally ended up digging his nails into the boy's skin, but didn't even realize it. He was shaking, too, not quite as badly as Ryou was, but he was certain the boy could notice it. Bakura wished that wasn't the case - he was always so calm, so composed, but this... it was too much for him to handle. He felt like he was a child again, watching as everything was taken from him. He was so close to getting his revenge, but somehow it just didn't feel that way. It felt more like he was losing something in exchange for finally being able to kill the Pharaoh.

Ghosts began to shift outside, sliding through the walls of the home Bakura and Ryou were in and watching what was going on. A few of them came close, swirling around the two males and even attempting to touch them. Bakura recognized that they were trying to comfort them, in a way, which he found completely off-putting. Normally these spirits were far from kind, so why were they suddenly doing this? Perhaps they had recognized just how important Ryou was to their only survivor. In any case, he was grateful for the odd change in attitude, and he relaxed his hold on Ryou slightly, finally realizing that maybe he had been hurting the boy again. The thief apologized over the mind link again.

_I won't let that happen again,_ he assured the boy. He still blamed himself for what had happened. _I shouldn't have let it go so far in the first place. It's my fault..._ He took Ryou's face in his hands and kissed the boy gently, slowly, hoping that his love would show through the gesture. Ryou really was so strong... much stronger than anyone even realized. Bakura stroked his hair softly as he pulled away from their kiss. Maybe what they needed now was just a little rest, alone, away from everyone but each other.

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**Preview for Chapter 30: **Contract

Zorc was clearly amused, the horse only going faster in order to reach the capital in time. "If you accept my offer, then maybe I will give you what you want." Ryou looked up at the dark lord, trying his best to stay rational. "But Shadii said that I was too-" "Are you really that gullible? The Shadi that you saw was but a figment of your imagination. Do you really think you would be too pure or too innocent for the Millennium Items to hold your soul? The pharaoh, one of the gods of Egypt, was sealed inside the Millennium Pendant. Sealing you inside would be a breeze but the Ring is my abode," he muttered, trying his best not to look into the boy's eyes. Ryou's eyes held too much emotion- too much light in them that the evil god truly felt irritated by it. However, if the boy was actually willing to go through with his plan, then maybe something might ensue. The boy's eyes were half-lidded, leaning on the dark lord's chest as he sighed lightly. "I want nothing but to stay and serve Bakura-sama."

"I am your master before him and anyone else but I shall forgive you for that for now. Accept my offer. You just have to do thing for me before you get to spend your life with Akefia for all of eternity," he muttered, causing the boy to jolt. "W-What do I have to do?" he asked. He knew that he was making a deal with the devil himself and yet, he was willing to risk everything just so he could be with the thief king. He felt selfish and yet, maybe it was time for him to be selfish in the first place. "You just have to take Yuugi Mutou's life. I think it is but fair, don't you think so? A life for a life?"


	30. Contract

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hey guys! Star here and I'm a little sad. I wanted to post this during September 2nd, which is as all of you know is Ry-Ry's birthday. I'm really sad that I was not able to edit this on time. :'( This is a belated happy birthday to the two- considering that Yami no Bakura should technically share his birthday, riiiight? Tendershipping galore~ Just a heads up though. I might not be able to post anything for a while so yeah, I apologize for leaving it at this point buuuut at least there's a chapter to help while you wait?

Oh! And thank you for making LMST reach more than 100 reviews! Chiba-kun and I are extremely happy to have such awesome readers! Props to **ilovemanicures** for taking that 100th review! :3

I do hope that you enjoy this chapter~ It explores the plot more and involves Mariku scheming behind Zorc's back! -legasp-!

Also, no chapter preview for you guys. Methinks that it is best for us to leave the chapter at that point. The chapter is a little wordy and conversation-intensive. I hope that you really enjoy it!

We do not own YGO or any of its characters but we do own the plot~ If we did own it, there would be smexy time everywhere and anywhere! Mwahaha.

**Chapter Warnings:** Mentions of smut, Cruel Cliffhanger?

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**Chapter 30:** Contract

The boy woke up after a few hours, still in the thief king's grasp. By that time, it was already noon and sweat was trickling down his neck due to the immense heat from outside. The stone house that they were in lessened the impact of the heat wave but at the same time, the air itself was too warm. He moved in towards the thief king even more, nuzzling him close and for that moment, only the thief king existed in his world. He brushed a few bangs out of his eyes before pressing their lips together. When he felt Ryou kiss him, Bakura's eyes opened a crack. He was still half-asleep, but he had enough of his mind available to know to kiss back, even though it wasn't exactly a lot of effort being put into it. Ryou would understand anyway. He watched, half-aware of what was going on, as the boy pulled away. Not even three seconds had passed before the thief had closed his eyes again and fallen asleep. He felt significantly better for that, even though his sleep was a lot lighter now than it had been. The boy sat up, and one thing registered in his mind. He was sore.

He looked around and noticed that there was no bathroom anywhere in the house. Did bathrooms even exist during this time? He noticed a pile of clothes on the table nearby- a large set of clothes and a set of clothes that looked like women's garbs. With a sigh, the boy deduced what he was going to wear as he grabbed them with an obvious pout on his face. Next step: looking for a place to take a bath. After putting the thief's red robe and walking outside, he saw the dark lord there with a slave- a controlled young girl.

The female slave walked towards him and gave him some scented oils. "The slave will escort you to a nearby lake. Finish up fast. You are going back to the palace when night falls and we still have a lot of preparations to make," the dark lord muttered before walking away. Soon enough, he found himself near a lake, dropping the thief's robes as he folded it near the new set of clothes that were given to him. He submerged himself in the cool waters, sighing in relief when he did. The water was making all the pain slowly disappear and it removed the dried blood that stuck on his body. He started to clean himself, taking off Marik's scent as he scrubbed furiously. He hated the tomb keeper's scent on his body and yet no matter what he did, the scent still remained there. He shook his head, getting some of the bottles of the oils before deciding to sue the vanilla one. By the time Ryou finished, his wounds were already healing but the bruises on his hips and arms were still there. He sighed, putting on the small set of clothes given to him.

The boy fixed the pseudo-hat on his head to make sure that he was protected from the possible increase in heat as the day progressed. Ryou wore the thief's robe as he tried to take as much of the thief's scent on his body. The scent was faint and yet it was there. He made his way back to the stone house and noticed that the slave stayed in the corner, obviously forced to stay with them for a while. He looked around, noticing that Marik and Seth were not there. He walked towards the sleeping thief, smiling as he caressed Bakura's cheek. "You look so peaceful when you sleep, Kura," he whispered. He let the cloak drape on Bakura's body, smiling as he kissed his cheek repeatedly. "But you have to wake up now. Zorc-sama said so."

He felt movement in front of him and heard a voice. The thief made a strange noise somewhere between a grunt and a groan and turned away, falling over on to his side and curling up away from Ryou. "Why do you always have to wake me up...?" he whined. It was not like Bakura at all to act this way, but he was completely exhausted and not fully awake yet. If he had more control over himself at this point then maybe he would have stayed quiet and just done as he was told. As it was, he was determined to lie there bit longer. But he knew Ryou would have none of that, so after a few minutes, he sat back up.

"All right, I'm awake now," he mumbled. The new clothes on his Yadonushi surprised the thief; he was about to inquire about them when he saw the set of clothing left for him off to the side. He stood up to pick up the clothes, noticing they were very similar to what he normally wore. That was preferable for him, anyway, since he didn't really want to end up wearing women's clothes like Ryou. He smirked at his Yadonushi and laughed a little without bothering to explain why. It was cute, in a way. And though he knew Ryou didn't like to think that way, the boy really did look rather feminine. In a way, Bakura supposed that meant he also looked a bit feminine when he was in a body that more closely resembled the boy. Not now, but when they had been in Domino... maybe he just hadn't noticed it before. The idea was strange so the thief decided not to dwell on it.

Bakura knew of the lake just outside of the village so he decided to go there, having assumed that was where Ryou had washed off. He wasn't sure where he had gotten anything that would make him smell that way, though. "I'll be back in a bit," he said. He felt a bit bad about leaving Ryou alone. "Unless you want to join me, of course." He gave the boy another smirk and left the home, making his way to the lake to wash off.

By the time Bakura had made it to his destination, someone else had come into the house where Ryou was. Marik gazed at the boy with indifference, seemingly more intent on getting out of the heat than actually causing trouble. He leaned against the wall and slid down it, grumbling something about not liking what was going on. It was only after a few minutes that he seemed to realize he wasn't alone and smirked. "Hm, somebody smells nice," Marik commented darkly. He didn't say anything else on the matter though and seemed to look at something off in the distance.

There was a long stretch of silence before Marik spoke up again. "Zorc has already gone about setting up his little plan. I couldn't care less about the details, myself... I think it would be more fun to talk to you." His eyes glinted devilishly. Something sinister was forming in his mind, but thankfully for Ryou no weapons of any sort were in sight. He stared evenly at the boy and continued: "You're not going to be able to stay with him, you know. I don't know why you even bother with him in the first place." He didn't even need to give a name - Ryou would know that the Egyptian was talking about Bakura. "You know that he would cast you aside in a second if you got in the way of his revenge. And even if you manage to last until Zorc is truly summoned into the world... he wouldn't keep you around just to please his pawn. When I wear out my usefulness, both my other self and I will be destroyed too. He doesn't care for his slaves in the least."

His head then turned when he heard another voice in the room before listening intently. He sighed, his eyes looking back at his bare hands. The rings that he had on, along with his other accessories were probably still in the palace. Ryou felt uncomfortable around Marik. The Egyptian would usually do things to him that would make him feel uncomfortable in more ways than one.

"Do you really think that I'm not aware of that?" he whispered, his voice sounding rather apathetic. He sighed before running a hand through his hair. "I know that he'll dispose of me when I lose my worth," he whispered, being somewhat vague as to the identity of the person he was talking about. "I don't think that I would be able to stay with Bakura-sama forever. For years I have been depending on him and I know that it's not good for me but- but I want to stay with him until the day that I get pushed away," he whispered, shrugging. "I'm not going to survive this place in the first place if he's going to leave me. If I were to choose as to what I am to do for the last few days, I'd rather spend it with him than do it alone."

Ryou's words completely puzzled the Egyptian. He wondered how Ryou could be so stupid as to accept all of this, even when knowingly facing death. Marik himself would never have accepted it - he wanted to kill everything himself instead of letting some God he didn't even truly accept do it. And he wasn't quite ready for the world as he knew it to end, anyway - there was something he wanted to do first, even if it may have seemed insignificant to anyone else. Call him selfish, but Marik had his own agenda.

The boy sighed before smirking and then laughing. His little fairytale was crumbling before his very eyes and he could not even do anything about it. It was then when he realized the complete hopelessness of his situation. It was then when he finally understood Bakura's innermost fear of being helpless and unable to do anything of the situation. Maybe, this was the wakeup call that he needed all along.

Yami no Marik was created out of Marik's hatred and pain. He, in all technicalities, was not human in the first place. Unlike Bakura or the pharaoh, he was not even meant to live in the first place. He wondered what the dark being feared most- what made him tick and what made him happy. Yami no Marik was human now, even if he does not admit to being one. The boy stood up, making his way towards the Yami before pinning him to the wall. "You don't have to worry your pretty little head with those things, alright Mariku?" he said.

Ryou knew that Marik was scared - or at the very least, abrasive about dying before he gets to take over the world himself. He knew that the dark being had his own ego and that he was not as bad as he was making himself look like. He placed a hand on the darkness' head before messing up his hair some, laughing at the dark being. "Thank you for that talk, Marik."

He laughed when Ryou pinned him against the wall. The shock had stung a bit, but he enjoyed it and just stayed quiet until it was over. Shortly after the boy left the small home, Marik did too. He cast one look over his shoulder at Ryou before the boy left his line of vision completely. "I don't think you're going to die easily," he muttered under his breath. "Not if Bakura doesn't want you to. Heh... maybe things are going to turn out to be fun after all."

In the meantime, Bakura continued to wash himself off in the water, taking his time to make sure he was completely clean. He had noticed the oils left behind by Ryou but didn't really find any of them to his liking. Still, he had ended up choosing the mildest scent and using it, finding that he liked the way it seemed to soften the water. He knew Ryou was behind him, watching him, but didn't turn around to face the boy. He just grinned to himself and rolled his eyes at the thoughts that were floating through Ryou's mind and into Bakura's. "Is that really what you think...?" He wondered aloud (albeit in a low mumble), careful not to show any indication, physically or mentally, that he knew Ryou was watching him. But the boy probably knew that anyway.

Bakura laughed quietly to himself and ducked his head under the water, letting himself become surrounded by the cool, relaxing water. It really was too hot outside... the thief would much rather have stayed here for now, but the necessity of breathing unfortunately forced him up out of the water. He continued to pretend that Ryou wasn't there; even making sure that he did not turn around at all to face the boy. If his Hikari was going to just sit there and do nothing, then maybe that was okay. Bakura, however, wasn't sure he was satisfied with that. He had never thought of Ryou as that type of person, and judging by the thoughts he was hearing from the boy, he didn't really want to just stay there and watch.

Finally, finally, Bakura relented. "Why don't you come join me?" He called out after a while. The thief still didn't turn around fully, but now he was glancing over his shoulder with a smirk. "I already know you want to. Coming down here would just save us both a lot of trouble."

The boy looked at the thief king and blushed even more when he heard Bakura acknowledge his presence. He was fine where he was standing but it seems that the thief king was tempting him to do something about their situation. Ryou cleared his throat before making his way towards the thief king, lifting his dress up before sitting on the ledge of the lake. His legs were already in the water, making him sigh in relief. He could not help but blush even more, looking away as he tried his best not to fixate his gaze on a particular part of his body. He cleared his throat again before splashing some water towards the thief's direction. "You kid around too much, Bakura. I already finished taking a bath!" he exclaimed before laughing again. There it was again. That happy feeling inside his heart surged throughout his body once more.

Ryou rolled his eyes before taking off his clothes. It was too hot and the water was just too tempting to pass up- and his companion was not too bad either. He went in the water before wrapping his arms around Bakura's neck. "You spoil me too much, Tozokuoh." The boy took this opportunity to gaze at his eyes. Bakura's eyes were a deep shade of indigo and yet, it seemed to him that it had more life compared to what Bakura looked like before. Ryou's eyes were similar to Bakura's right now- a distinct twinkle found in each of the deep brown orbs as he gazed at his lover. "You look so beautiful," he whispered, admiring the thief's face. Everything about the thief just screamed to the boy as something majestic. Ryou traced the other's wounds, carefully touching them as if the scar was still a fresh wound. He parted his lips to speak only to find himself drawn towards the thief king in a gentle yet passionate lip lock.

The boy groaned before pulling away. "We don't have time for that, Tozokuoh. I think he's waiting for us to finish up. He said that we still have a lot of things to do," he whispered but not before splashing water on the thief's face once more. He could not help but chuckle as he kept up with the silly fight. It was times like this when he felt so light and so happy with the thief king and Bakura did not disappoint him. Soon enough, a splash fight ensued between the two as Ryou attempted to overpower the thief king even with this silly game. He simply grinned when he felt as if he was winning only to have water splatter all over his face after the thief made an unexpected move. The boy ran his palm over his face to take the excess water off of it before glaring at the thief. "That was a cheap shot!" he exclaimed before lunging at Bakura and kissing him. Ryou seemed to dominate the kiss at first but he knew that the thief king would soon get hold of the dominance. The white-haired boy knew that he had to do something to catch him off guard. He simply pressed the thief's back against the side of the lake, slipping his tongue in when the thief opened his mouth.

It had been easy to lose himself in the moment when the boy had joined him. Ryou just seemed to have that effect on the thief, as strange as that may have been. Nobody had ever had that effect on him before, so the thief hadn't actually expected to ever feel this way at all. And he knew that in the future, nobody else would be able to do this to him. It was a strange feeling, but nonetheless comforting. And it made him happy, too, something that used to seem so foreign to Bakura. At this moment, when he laughed, it wasn't cruel, triumphant, dark or even mocking: it was genuinely happy.

Lips touched again and again as Ryou ran a hand through the thief's hair. His heart screamed for joy as he continued the kiss, gasping in his mouth to get a much needed refill of air before continuing what they were doing. Their bodies looked as if they were mashing together in one heap of fluff and from the looks of it, it was not long before the thief took him right then and there. At least that was what Ryou thought until he heard a particular dark lord clearing his throat. It took almost all of the Ring holder's self control for him to pry his mouth off of the thief, raising his head up at the dark lord that was staring down at him. "We're leaving for the city, Akefia. Your horse is ready by the house. Marik and I are going ahead with the Millennium Items at hand. We don't want to raise suspicions after all so I expect you to follow us momentarily."

Bakura bowed his head in respect, but he wasn't pleased with this at all. He hated showing this sort of respect for anyone, and he still wasn't pleased with what had gone on between him and the dark god, but this was an automatic gesture by now.

"Yes, my Lord," he agreed, still not looking up. Bakura was being a bit too obedient, mostly because he just wanted this to be over and done with so he could really finish up here. Thankfully the little exchange didn't last long, so the thief could divert his attention again just as easily as when Zorc had shown up. He wondered what the dark god had in store if he was planning to attack in the broad daylight. Bakura couldn't say he liked that idea very much; as a thief and a grave robber, he had always known to use the cover of darkness to his advantage. To him, going out and working in the daylight was complete lunacy. Unless they were simply doing preparation for what was to come later...

In any case, the dark god had left and told his servant to follow along at a later time. That was fine with Bakura. He turned back to Ryou and cupped the boy's face in one hand. "Finish up... right. Now, where were we?" He laughed a little bit and began kissing his Hikari again, starting slowly and quickly becoming more and more passionate. A hand came to Ryou's shoulder and suddenly they were both plunging into the water, Bakura dragging his host down as they kissed. If they were going to have the full experience of playing in the water, then they might as well do whatever they wanted to while completely submerged as well, right? And there was just something so pleasurable about the fact that he couldn't breathe right now. Like he was suffocating, but in a good way. It was like every other time he kissed Ryou, only now it felt like the environment around them was reacting in the same way.

Soon enough, but still too soon, Bakura and Ryou had finished up their little romp in the water and were forced to get out of the lake. The thief sighed to himself and dressed, taking the Millennium Ring that had been left behind and putting it on himself. He could feel the dark god's presence again, and though the idea of it made him a bit uncomfortable, he knew that for the time being it would be a necessary thing to have. It would make him focus a lot better, but he could still suppress the dark lord's presence in his mind when it got to be too much. As long as Ryou was there, that is.

He helped his Hikari up onto the horse, mounting it immediately after. "Hold on to me," he instructed before kicking the horse to start moving. While they travelled, Bakura remembered that he wanted to ask Ryou something. "What did Marik say to you earlier?" The question had only come to mind because the thief had remembered that he heard some of Ryou's thoughts while he had been washing up, and had assumed the boy was talking with Marik. If he was wrong, then he was wrong, but Bakura didn't think that was the case.

Ryou was about to fall asleep when Bakura asked him something. He knew that Bakura was merely concerned about him but at the same time, he did not want to worry the thief. "Nothing I could not handle, Kura," he whispered before purring in his hold. He hoped that they could stay like this- traveling the world and enjoying the sceneries while his Yami robbed a here and there. He sighed, biting his lower lip when he felt the horse come into a halt. He looked at the side, noticing that Marik and Seth were standing by.

Ryou was the first one to jump off of the horse, noticing that the sand was warmer than usual. The cloth shoes that he had on were not doing much to reduce the heat that he was feeling. He walked towards Zorc, bowing his head out of respect and flashing a small smile in Marik's direction. "The boy and I will head for the palace. Wait until Ra sleeps for you and Marik to go there. You will wait for further instructions when you arrive. Akunadin will see to you," he stated, smirking at the thief king that was dismounting his horse. His gaze then fell on the white-haired boy that was apparently eager to serve him to his heart's content. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, smirking. "Come now, boy. We should be on our way to the palace. It's a long ride." The dark lord looked at Marik before smirking once more, "Play nice, Marik. Be careful not to break my toy."

The boy was placed on the horse before the High Priest stayed behind him. He flushed at the position, making him feel too feminine all of a sudden. The dress was something but knowing that the dark lord's arms were 'protecting' him was making him feel somewhat uncomfortable. He looked at Bakura, his eyes narrowing before flashing him a sad smile before mouthing an 'I love you' towards the thief king. The horse was immediately ordered to go to the capital, the boy clutching on the dark lord for support. To say the least, Bakura was uneasy with leaving Ryou alone with Zorc. He wasn't sure what would happen in his absence, but it couldn't be anything good. He gave a weak smirk to Ryou before he left with the dark god, turning to Marik after they were out of sight. "I suppose you know what's going to be happening," he muttered. Bakura himself hadn't been informed, and neither had Ryou, but at least there was a chance that the boy would learn what was going to happen tonight if Zorc was leading him to the palace. As it was now, the thief doubted that Marik would tell him.

Said Egyptian only laughed. "Yup." He waited for Bakura to ask something else, and when he found no response, Marik growled and continued on. "Apparently we're going to kidnap and kill the Pharaoh's vessel. Zorc is going on ahead to speak with the Pharaoh about how your little host apparently managed to escape you. From there we just follow our own instructions." To anyone else, it may not have been obvious, but the way Marik spoke of Zorc, not giving him a title, spoke volumes to the thief king. Something wasn't right here, but he left it for now. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, anyway, seeing as the Egyptian's mind worked in strange, twisted ways.

For the time being, there was simply a lot of waiting to do, since they were told to wait until nightfall to leave. Bakura and Marik ended up wandering through the outskirts of the city, not doing anything in particular, but watching the goings on. Eventually Bakura got tired of that and decided to strike up a conversation. The nagging feeling in the corner of his mind hadn't disappeared while they had been wandering about, instead only increasing in spite of the thief's disinterest. There were things he still didn't understand about Marik - why was he here, really? He mentioned something about getting rewarded for his loyalty, but from where Bakura stood he could only see the first reward Marik had been granted - namely, being brought back from the darkness. "You're not here just to follow Lord Zorc, are you?" he asked. Marik raised an eyebrow to silently ask where the question had come from, but simply shrugged and smirked.

"Think whatever you want. You should know by now that I don't do anything without something in return." He and the thief stared at each other for a moment, trying to assess one another, neither relenting until they found something. Finally the silence was broken when Bakura laughed. Something had shown itself to him, whether by mistake or not, and he felt as if he finally understood. He was grinning now, even as he calmed down, and put a hand on his companion's shoulder. "I should have known," he whispered. "Well, what is it then? What - or who - are you doing this for?"

Marik's eyes narrowed, but he seemed generally amused by Bakura's words. Perhaps he had been figured out? "You already know the answer, Thief. I don't need to tell you anything. But I wonder... would I be able to steal from the King of Thieves himself? Or even better, can I steal from his God?" It was a challenge; one Bakura was ready to accept. He smirked again and narrowed his eyes. "I would love to see you try."

The sun was setting by now, so the thief and his companion decided it was time to get going. By the time they got to the palace, there were still guards out. It would be easy for them to be seen, so Bakura summoned his spirit once more and used it to cloak himself and Marik. When they reached the edge of the palace, Akunadin was waiting for them. Bakura scowled; he had never liked this man much and had sort of wished he had just killed the damn priest instead of letting him live. But as it was now, he had no other choice but to wait for Zorc's commands through this old man.

* * *

"Do you promise your eternal loyalty to me?" the dark lord whispered, pressing his lips against the boy's ear. Ryou was unfazed though, simply looking at the sand that kept greeting them for miles on end. "Y-Yes," he said half-heartedly, trying his best to contact Bakura. Ryou could only guess that it was because he felt the dark lord within him before when he shared his body with the thief king. Zorc was amused, the horse only going faster in order to reach the capital in time.

"If you accept my offer, then maybe I will give you what you want." Ryou looked up at the dark lord, trying his best to stay rational.

"But Shadii said that I was too-"

"Are you really that gullible? The Shadii that you saw was but a figment of your imagination. Do you really think you would be too pure or too innocent for the Millennium Items to hold your soul? The pharaoh, one of the gods of Egypt, was sealed inside the Millennium Puzzle. Sealing you inside would be a breeze for the Ring is my abode."

Ryou's eyes held too much emotion- too much light in them that the evil god truly felt irritated by it. However, if the boy was actually willing to go through with his plan, then maybe something might ensue. The boy's eyes were half-lidded, leaning on the dark lord's chest as he sighed. "I want nothing but to stay and serve Bakura-sama."

"I am your master before him and anyone else but I shall forgive you for that for now. Accept my offer. You just have to do something for me before you get to spend your life with Akefia for all of eternity."

"W-What do I have to do?" he asked. He knew that he was making a deal with the devil himself and yet, he was willing to risk everything just so he could be with the thief king. He felt selfish and yet, maybe it was time for him to be selfish in the first place.

"You just have to take Yuugi Mutou's life. I think it is but fair, don't you think so? A life for a life?"

"B-But I will get caught! D-Don't tell me that's the r-r-reason as to why we're going to the palace!"

"We're not going to do it in the castle. We're going to abduct the boy. We shall pretend to negotiate with the pharaoh but when he falls for our trap, we shall kill that boy. I want you to have the pleasure of taking his life."

"B-But Y-Yuugi doesn't have to do with any-ny of this!"

"I thought you loved Akefia? Why are you so reluctant, Ryou? Just one life and you get to spend the rest of your life with the one you love. It sounds like a good deal to me," the dark lord whispered before shrugging. The boy was confused: his friend or his love? Ryou clenched his fist before he nodded, "I shall agree to your plan, Lord Zorc," he whispered, feeling the high priest's breath on his neck. The dark lord bit him, drawing a small amount of blood before a mark formed on his neck. "This is the mark of your contract. There's no going back now. When I order you to kill the boy, you have to kill him." The boy's eyes clouded before he nodded once more. He looked up only to realize that they were already in the palace. The sun was almost setting when they entered the throne room, Atem's eyes landing on Ryou.

"I asked for the thief king and you bring me this boy. I take it that you still have not found the thief king, High Priest," he muttered, voice dangerously low. Yuugi was beside him, clad in jewelries and other expensive items. Ryou raised his head before his eyes met with Yuugi's gaze. When he stared in Yuugi's eyes, he felt as if his heart was breaking. Yuugi was pure- certainly more pure than him but Ryou knew what he wanted. He wanted Bakura and nothing will get in the way in getting what he wanted. "The boy seemed to have escaped the thief's clutches. I found him alone once more and it seems as if the thief king left him for good this time. What shall I do with him, my pharaoh?" the dark lord said, trying his best not to sound sarcastic. Atem's eyes were fixed on Ryou once more before glaring down at him, "This boy's Ka is dangerous. He might be fooling us in believing that he is on our side. Maybe the thief king is only waiting outside the borders. Having him around would be too dangerous for the people of Egypt. Execute him!" the pharaoh exclaimed, causing all of the priests to gasp in both fright and shock.

When he saw High Priest Seth come back with Ryou, Yuugi couldn't help but be surprised. His face broke out into an excited smile and he clutched on to his Yami's arm in glee._ He's okay!_Yuugi thought. He had been worried beyond all reason about his friend since he had been unconscious when Ryou had left (therefore not knowing if he was taken against his will or if he voluntarily left with the King of Thieves). He was about to say something when his other self spoke up, so the boy bit back his excitement for the time being. Surely the Pharaoh was going to understand, maybe let their friend back in to stay with them -

"No!" He shouted, grabbing on even harder to his Yami's arm. "What are you saying? Bakura-kun is our friend! You can't do that!" For a moment, Yuugi looked so distressed that he may have burst into tears at any second. "I trust him, Yami! Even if you're suspicious... let him speak! Please! J-just... just d-don't hurt him!"

Yuugi let go of his other self, walking forwards to stand next to Ryou. If only the boy knew what sort of danger he was getting himself into... but he was too trusting, too faithful in his friend. He knew exactly how Ryou felt about the thief king, so if he had left said thief then something terrible must have happened. And those marks and cuts on the boy's body didn't escape unnoticed. If nothing else, Yuugi wanted to know what had happened or what he could do. _Who knows? Maybe he could help us! He could help you by telling you what the Spirit of the Ring did to him! Bakura-kun is a good person. Please, other me, you have to see that!_

Ryou looked at his friend before looking at Seth. He knew that he was betraying Yuugi but at the same time, he could not bring himself to not agree to the thief king's plans for him. In truth, he really wanted to be with Bakura and if this was the only way to be with the thief king, then he was going to risk everything just to be with him. _'Just repeat what I'm going to say. I know about your acting prowess and if I were you, I'd do my best to make it look believable,'_ he said through the boy's thoughts, his face still stoic. He knew that he should still appear as if he was apathetic about the situation. One wrong move could spell the end of his plans and he was not going to let something as silly as this hinder his plans in the first place. _'Your life is at stake here, Ryou Bakura. Choose your actions wisely,'_he muttered before relaying to him the message that he was supposed to say to the pharaoh, along with his vessel. The boy's eyes widened upon realizing the story that he was supposed to tell. The lie was perfect and yet, even if Ryou knew that he was just lying about it, he still felt bad for thinking about it.

The boy clutched onto Yuugi, his arms wrapping around the smaller boy's shoulders. He started whimpering, tears trickling down his cheeks. The marks on his neck were more evident to Yuugi now. Ryou was still shaking though when he parted his lips to speak. _'Bakura-sama...'_he said through their link, reluctant of what he was about to say. Still, he knew that if he wanted to leave the throne room alive, he had to do what the dark lord asked of him. "He... Bakura... H-He... He took me against my will, Yuugi-kun. He... Oh gods," he whispered before falling to his knees. Ryou buried his face in his hands before sobbing. If one would listen closely, one would slowly hear the sounds of the priests' hearts breaking at the sight of the boy. Isis walked towards the boy, lifting his dress up. Upon further realizing that he was wearing a loin cloth, she asked for permission to take the dress off of him. Once the boy's body was revealed in front of the court, everyone saw the twisted masterpiece that was unfolding right in front of their very eyes. Yuugi's eyes widened as he listened to Ryou confess about what had happened to him. The boy felt incredibly sympathetic at the moment, if only because he knew that if his Yami, someone he loved and trusted above all else, had done something like that to him... it would break Yuugi in ways he was certain he couldn't even imagine. But part of him knew that this was going to happen to Ryou anyway - he just wished he had been more careful to warn the boy and make him see that his Yami would hurt him.

The bruises on his hips were already deep purple in hue while the cuts on his body were still fresh- indicating that he was hurt recently. He winced when Isis traced over the cuts before asking her not to do that. He was immediately clothed after that, head hanging low as he kept his gaze away from the pharaoh. Said pharaoh was suspicious about everything but upon seeing the boy's sad state, he could only imagine what Bakura did to him. "See to it that he is brought to the healers. However, we shall try to extract this boy's Ka. It is still far too dangerous to have it around- just in case he decides to turn against us," he said, eyes narrowing at the boy. Isis pulled the boy up, asking Yuugi to go with them to the medical wing. Ryou winced when his wounds started to heal. He realized that the pain of healing was twice as painful as the pain of inflicting it. At the same time, his leg was still not in mint condition and needless to say, the boy as running around with it without the proper treatment placed on his wounds.

He wrapped his arms around Ryou and held him close, trying his best not to agitate any of the other boy's wounds. A wave of relief washed over him when the Pharaoh conceded to allow Ryou to live. _Thank you, my other self,_he thought, giving said person a bright smile. He truly was grateful that the Pharaoh had changed his mind, but something still felt off. Why did he not trust Ryou anymore? They were friends, and Yuugi had told him how Ryou felt about the thief king. It wasn't as if he had summoned his Ka with the intention of hurting people... he had just used it to save someone important to him. His Yami should have known that, so why was he being so harsh and cruel?

"Yuugi-kun... I-I thought he... I thought he loved me but..." he whispered as tears kept falling on their own accord. He needed to get Yuugi's trust after all and he knew that gullible little Yuugi would soon be playing on the palm of his hands.

He supposed it didn't matter at the moment as they could talk about it later. In the meantime, he stayed with Ryou as he was being treated, touching his hand to try and comfort him. It was a small gesture, but one that would mean a lot if taken that way. "I wish I could help you more," Yuugi mumbled, truly feeling terrible about all this. He wondered what the Spirit of the Ring had done to get his Hikari to trust him so much even after all the terrible things he had done inside Ryou's body.

It was at that moment that footsteps could be heard coming from outside the room. Another priest appeared in the doorway, one Yuugi did not fully recognize, but knew to be the only one left with a Millennium Eye. Akunadin turned his single mobile eye onto Isis. "I have been instructed by Seth to look after the boy for the time being. You are excused." He waited for the woman to leave the room before giving a curt glance at Ryou. One look at the priest could easily tell the boy that he was not there because he was an expert healer. Yuugi, unfortunately, did not recognize this.

The boy's body stopped shaking after a while, simply staring at the ceiling as he tried to stop himself from crying too much. He knew that even though he was faking this whole ordeal, Bakura still disliked seeing him cry all the time. He whimpered when his healing started, his wounds slowly going away through some magic. The boy was already on his side when Akunadin walked in the room. The pain was shooting throughout Ryou's body, the pain of the healing lingering for a while. His eyes were already half-lidded at the time, trying to contact Bakura but he realized that the High Priest's shadow powers were preventing him from sending any messages to Bakura. The dark lord's voice flitted through his head for a good few seconds before he realized that Akunadin was also one of Zorc's minions. He looked at him, his gaze seemingly sad before sitting up. He looked at Yuugi before moving nearer to the boy. He looked at the boy for a good few moments before revealing a knife in his hands- the same blade that was used to carve his wounds.

"Yuugi-kun, you'll be going with us for a while. If you do not want to get hurt, I would suggest that you should go with us peacefully," he whispered before pressing the tip of the blade against the side of his neck. Then, the High Priest inside the room grabbed a bottle before giving it to Ryou. It was apparently one of those ancient medications that would cause the victim to fall unconscious. Ryou uncorked the bottle before letting the smaller boy sniff the contents of it. He then pocketed the item, realizing that it might be something of value in the future. When that the blade was pressed to his neck, Yuugi's eyes widened in shock and sadness. If one were to look carefully, they would be able to see a part of the boy's heart breaking at the sudden shift in his friend's attitude. "Y-you... Bakura-kun... you lied...!" Tears were already being formed in the corner of the boy's eyes. _Other me!_ He cried out in his mind. Unfortunately, before he could relay to the Pharaoh just what was happening, a bottle was being forced at him, the fumes causing Yuugi to fall unconscious. Ryou had trouble lifting the boy but it was not that troubling given the fact that Marik already reached the room.

"M-Mariku!" he exclaimed, knowing that Bakura would simply be at his back. He was looking for the white-haired thief and yet he never came. "W-Where's... Bakura?" he asked, choking. Ryou gave the boy to Marik, dashing off to the throne room when he heard that Bakura was being the 'distraction'. Ryou knew that Bakura could only be doing one thing. Marik simply watched with fascination and took the boy from Ryou when needed. "Don't get in the way," he said, voice amused and almost sing-song in the tone he had employed. He knew what was meant to happen, but spoiling the fun for Ryou would just ruin it for everyone.

* * *

The pharaoh was massaging his temples when Seth walked up to him. "Any word on the Thief King?" he asked, trying his best to secure Egypt, not only for himself but also for Yuugi. Each passing minute only made him worry about his partner even more. Maybe Egypt was just far too harsh towards the boy. Maybe, it would be better for them to try and go back to Domino City and live out the rest of their lives there. "None yet, my pharaoh. However, it seems like that boy's Ka is linked to his soul. That is probably the reason as to why he passed out upon his sacrifice for the thief king. It would kill him to have such power extracted from him," he stated, knowing that Seth's inner beliefs would stir upon the knowledge of this new 'fact'. After all, the White Dragon that he wields came from a similar scenario.

The other part of Zorc's plan was being put into action. Bakura had not liked this idea at all at first, but later realized it was a good way to release some of his tension on the Pharaoh. The moment he and Marik were inside the palace walls, they parted ways, as was expected of them. Marik was to find where Yuugi was and take him, while Bakura was told to go directly to the Pharaoh and attempt to hold his attention while everyone else (save perhaps Zorc) made their way out of the palace with Yuugi.

The first place the thief looked was the throne room, and, unsurprisingly, it was exactly where the thief found the Pharaoh. He smirked and laughed, not even bothering to conceal himself in the shadows this time. Immediately Diabound was behind him as Bakura made his own presence known. "Pharaoh!" He yelled. He didn't even bother to cast a glance at Seth, knowing already that it was Zorc already expecting what was happening. "I hate having to come here over and over again, but it seems that as usual you have taken something important from me. I'm looking to take it back."

Behind the thief, Diabound was already getting poised to attack the Pharaoh. Bakura laughed again. "Don't even bother acting like you don't know where he is. If you don't cooperate, I can kill you in an instant - and your precious Hikari, too. After all, you no longer have the power to summon the Gods!"

Hopefully, the rest of the plan wouldn't take too long to complete. The King of Thieves needed to keep his energy up, and having a long, drawn out battle would weaken him. Even if it wouldn't take a lot out of Bakura, it would still be preferable if he didn't have to fight at all now. He was still being forbidden to attack the Pharaoh directly, because his death would have to be postponed until Yuugi was killed and the dark god had been fully revived.

Ryou was right though. Bakura was a distraction all along.

When he reached the throne room, Ryou saw the Diabound and the Blue Eyes White Dragon battling against each other. The High Priests were either unconscious or dead. Ryou was wondering why Zorc was battling Bakura in the first place, A frantic pharaoh stayed behind the High Priest, images on his ancient duel disk. Unfortunately for the pharaoh, not one of the monsters that he summoned were powerful enough to defeat the Diabound- save for the Blue Eyes White Dragon that was battling on their side. Ryou was about to go to Bakura when he noticed that the dark lord glared at him, a silver glint in his eyes. The thief was completely ignorant of what was going on in another part of the palace and hadn't even realized it when Ryou's presence drew nearer. He was too focused on fighting against 'Seth' - or rather, the dark god that inhabited his body. Zorc was putting up a rather good fight - almost too good - and it was actually taking a lot out of Bakura. Was this all part of the plan, or was it just a bit of excess fun on the part of the evil god? Whatever it was, Bakura was not enjoying the treatment he was getting.

"B-Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed when Seth lunged for Bakura and hit him on the side with the other end of the Millennium Rod. The sudden shove with the Millennium Rod came as a surprise, but what was even more surprising were the words coming from the High Priest that followed. The attack was unlike what Zorc was doing in bed. He did not do it for the sake of having fun or that twisted pleasure he gets when he sees blood. No. The attack that he launched on the thief king was one that was meant to kill him.

Before he could even react, Bakura was shoved to the ground. He landed with a cry of pain, vision blurring and fading mere seconds after his landing. Soon enough, he was losing consciousness. The last thing he was aware of was pale skin and hands touching him. There was a voice, too; it was familiar, but the thief couldn't make out the words before everything around him faded away to black.


	31. Broken

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Hello guys! I know it's been more than a month since I last updated and since I had enough time tonight, I decided to FINALLY fix this chapter for LMST. I started editing this chapter when it was around 12,000 words and I realized that it was too much to put in one chapter. Heck, having around 6,000 words for this chapter is already too much. So yeah, I decided to move around 4,000 to another chapter while chapter 32 will consist of around 2,000 words. Those two chapters are pretty filled with a lot of shocking things so I hope you would stick around to read 'em.

I apologize again, our beloved readers, for updating sooo late. I know I already said that I wouldn't be able to post anything for a while and with all the quizzes, reports, and paper work I had to do, I go home completely exhausted each time. 3: Pray for my academic success, yes?

This chapter finally answers the question: Is Bakura going to die?

Again, no chapter preview for you guys. I don't want to leak what's going to happen in Chapter 32. I don't want to reveal too much of that chapter, considering that its a pretty short chapter compared to the ones that I keep putting up.

We still do not own YGO. Our lawyers are working on it. :)

**Chapter Warnings:** Insane!Ryou, Deathshipping Implications

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**Chapter 31:** Broken

"Go with Marik and the others. I have arranged with Akunadin to give them some medications for your wound. I shall stay here with the pharaoh," Zorc whispered in the thief's ear before pushing him to the ground. At that moment, the Diabound disappeared and the thief king landed with a loud thud. A pool of blood surrounded the thief king, causing Ryou to run to his side. His right hand was caressing his cheek, eyes brimming with tears. "Y-You can't leave me! Please! B-Bakura-sama! T-Take my Ka! Anything. J-Just don't..." he whispered. The boy concentrated in getting his Ka out only to find out that the dark lord was suppressing his powers all along. Ryou glared at the High Priest and then looked at the pharaoh. "You will pay for this, great pharaoh." It was obvious that the boy was filled with so much hatred and so much anger but he chose to focus on his fallen lover. He grabbed the Millennium Ring and wore it in the thief's place.

Outside the palace gates, Marik was waiting with a carriage attached to the horse. The old High Priest helped Ryou to get the thief inside the carriage. Ryou paid no heed to his gaming friend who was also inside the carriage. The boy's pale yet bloody hands pressed against the wound to stop it from bleeding. Before the horses ran off back to the abandoned village where they were staying, Ryou received more bottles from Akunadin- bottles that he could simply assume as the medications the dark lord was talking about. "Baku... Baku..." he choked out, gripping on the thief's hands as he started to cry. "Y-You can't leave me... Y-You promised, idiot! You promised me!" he exclaimed before hunching over the thief king, sobbing profoundly. He felt as if the other side of him was slowly dying along with the thief king's condition. "Come on Bakura... S-Say it... Say that you love me... Please... You said you'll say it when I ask you to. Kiss me. Hold me. Anything... Do anything you want... J-Just... Don't go."

Just as it was the last thing Bakura had heard, a voice was what he woke up to. His eyes opened only partially, and what he saw was still blurry for a few seconds before everything started to come back into focus. His head was killing him - he must have hit it hard sometime earlier, but when? Just before he'd been knocked out? That had to be it. In any case, he could hear that same distant voice as before, and only now did he realize it was Ryou. Now that the words were starting to make sense, Bakura found he wasn't very happy with them. Frowning, he reached up and hit his Yadonushi on the back of the head, just hard enough to jolt him. "Stop crying!" He snapped. "I'm not going to die! It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me." Did Ryou have no faith in him at all? He knew that wasn't the case, but the boy was probably just in a panic. _But why? ...Am I bleeding?_He wondered. He could feel something wet on his body, and unfortunately ended up realizing that it was blood.

He let out a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes again. The thief attempted to sit up, but the moment he moved his vision started swimming before him. _I really hit my head hard,_he thought, but ignored that fact for now. He hated looking weak, and besides, Ryou needed some sort of assurance right now. He needed to know that his Yami was okay, and Bakura needed to show him that he felt fine - aside from the throbbing pain in his head and the wave of nausea that sitting up had caused. He suddenly lurched forwards, clapping a hand to his mouth and trembling as if he were going to be sick. Nothing happened, thankfully, but that didn't stop him from slumping forwards where he sat. Bakura groaned weakly. He felt terrible... but not nearly as bad as Ryou had thought he was at first.

"I love you," he muttered, and though it was hard to hear, Bakura was giving Ryou what he wanted, even though somehow it wasn't as easy to say as he wanted it to be. It was just the state he was in now, that was all. He wished he hadn't let himself fall unconscious.

Ryou shuddered as he held the thief close, feeling as if the other was slipping from his grasp already. His grip only tightened the moment he heard the thief king mutter those three words that he loved hearing. His head hung low, pressing their lips together before staying in that position. The boy was still shaking but at least, he was able to stop the tears from falling- save for a few sobs here and there. "Idiot... You had me worried," he whispered, massaging the other's unharmed side. He felt helpless and weak to a certain extent though he knew what he could do for the fallen thief king. The boy took off the thief king's cloak, slipping it from under him before taking off his shirt. His eyes narrowed down at the deep cut that was on the thief's side, sighing lightly. He had seen some cuts like that before- particularly the ones that the Millennium Ring gave him as its host. He looked at the Millennium Ring, the eye of Horus now staring back at him with an apathetic gaze. He had fallen into darkness now and there was nothing he could do.

Bakura could only grin when Ryou explained that he had been worried. Said expression faded the moment that the medication was applied to him. He hissed in pain and fought not to flinch away, but it wasn't all that easy. In the end, though, everything was applied, and though Bakura still wasn't feeling all that good, he knew he was going to begin recovering very soon. "Thanks," he muttered, moving into a more comfortable position. He wasn't going to overexert himself any time soon, so he simply watched as Ryou dragged Yuugi off. The thief had a bad feeling about that. Who was going to be the one to actually slit the vessel's throat? It wasn't likely going to be Marik as much as the Egyptian may have wanted to undertake this task. Bakura somewhat doubted it would be him, so that only left one person...

"Makes sense," he muttered. Zorc was cruel. The dark god had probably planned from the beginning to have the boy test his loyalty in this way. By killing his friend, the only person that had been truly, unconditionally kind and trusting towards Ryou since meeting him, this would assure Zorc that the boy was loyal to him. The thief himself could appreciate this method of manipulation, and he didn't at all care that Yuugi would die, but he himself never would have forced Ryou to do something like that. He was more careful and merciful with his possessions - never once had Bakura forced Ryou into doing anything unpleasant. If he needed to get something done, he would simply make the boy sleep within his own mind and block off any awareness of what he was doing. That way, the boy didn't need to suffer any more than usual. Bakura had wanted a compliant host, after all, and it would appear that he had gotten one.

Ryou tied him up on one of the poles, staring down at him with emotionless eyes. The white-haired boy was torn and yet, he could not do anything about it. He simply left some water that was on Yuugi's reach but the chains were preventing him from moving around too much. "Sleep well, Yuugi-kun," he muttered before leaving the shorter boy alone in the room.

"Don't touch him, Marik," he whispered before pulling the tan being away from the 'sanctuary' that Yuugi was in.

* * *

In the palace grounds, Atem was getting furious. Many soldiers were killed off by the 'mysterious white-haired boy that carried the thief king around', according to the bystanders that were able to see Ryou using the powers of the Millennium Ring. The pharaoh felt as if his heart was slowly dying at every waking moment that Yuugi was gone. He felt his world crumble in to pieces the moment he realized that his beloved Aibou- his innocent little Yuugi was betrayed and taken by his friend. The worst of his nightmares were coming true after all; his partner was nowhere in sight and he could feel that he was slowly becoming a nervous wreck. "FIND HIM! Egypt shall not sleep until I find him!" he ordered and at once, the three remaining High Priests, save for Priest Seth himself, went off to find the pharaoh's concubine. Seth made his way towards the pharaoh, gripping on the Millennium Rod at hand before walking towards him. "You should rest, your majesty. It's no good for you to be up and about like this when you cannot think clearly," he cooed before pressing the eye of Horus against the side of his neck. At that moment, the eye glowed and the young pharaoh fell unconscious in his arms. _'Perfect...'_the dark lord thought, licking along the side of the pharaoh's neck. He loved it when things went right for him.

* * *

Ryou had pulled Marik back to where Bakura was staying at, looking at the thief king before looking at Marik. It was true that he agreed to kill his friend but at the same time, Ryou did not want Marik to touch Yuugi. He sighed, wrapping his arms around Marik- as if asking for a death wish. Unfortunately, the boy wanted to get comfort- even if it was false or even if it was just temporary. He sighed lightly, eyes still closed before grasping on Marik even more, "What if he leaves me?" he asked, mostly to himself rather than the tan boy that was in his hold. He sighed lightly, biting his lower lip before holding on to the Millennium Ring, "I'm able to use it again, Marik. Does that mean that Zorc is alright with me staying or is it simply convenient?"

Once more, he felt an emotion creeping up to him slowly as he stared at the darker personality. He was not even sure as to why he had such a reaction whenever Marik was around. This was the man who took his innocence without his consent and yet, it was the name that he was shouting to the stars the night before. He shook his head, moving to Bakura's side. He loved Bakura and no one else... Right? Ryou caressed his cheek, staring at his lover intently. He only lusted for Marik. He would never do these kinds of gestures to Marik and besides, the tan boy did not give him a reason to even consider liking him. "Why are you being so obedient to Zorc if you're a tomb keeper?" he asked, eyes never leaving Bakura. In truth, he did this just so he would not look in those eyes again- afraid that if he did, he might commit a sin against his fallen thief king.

He remained silent when the boy came back, dragging Marik along with him. The thief's eyes only narrowed to silently question what the tomb keeper was doing here, but he didn't get an answer. Instead he got to watch Ryou voluntarily embrace the dark being and speak to him, but he could not hear the first words that were being said. If he had, then it would probably have just made him angry. The second part, however, Bakura was curious to hear the answer to. He already had his own ideas of why Ryou would once again be able to access the power of the Millennium Ring, but kept those thoughts to himself. Ryou had asked Marik the question, after all. Said Egyptian smirked and shrugged. "How should I know?" He asked. "I doubt that Zorc will care to keep you around. You're distracting his favorite little plaything."

His cold yet amused gaze fell on Bakura. It was almost like the former tomb keeper was gloating about something. One arm came to rest on Ryou's back until the boy pulled away. When he felt the warmth leaving him, Marik simply laughed. He was starting to get a good idea of what was going on here, but didn't let anything on. "I have my reasons," he commented. There was no fun in just keeping _everything_to himself, though, and Bakura had already figured most of Marik's reasons out anyway, so it seemed to be okay to the Egyptian to give a hint or two to Ryou. "Let's just say that my loyalties lie somewhere else. I'm not much different than your beloved little thief there, you know." Said thief's eyes narrowed further and he pulled away from Ryou, turning to face away from the ex-tomb keeper. He could sense that something was wrong; too much emotion (doubt?) was flowing through the mind link for Bakura not to be suspicious. Right now, he wanted to forget that Marik was even there. He even wanted to be away from Ryou, just to have time to think. He lay down on his stronger side, moving away from his Hikari and pushing his hand away. The thief didn't even bother to offer an explanation for his behavior - Ryou should be able to feel it through their connection.

Ryou frowned the moment the dark being pulled away from him. He disliked it when Bakura was like this- rejecting him and keeping him out like always. "You don't have to protect me all the time, Bakura," he muttered under his breath before sighing. The boy knew when he was not wanted- or at the very least, he got a gut feel of when people do not want him around. Ryou stood up, looking at Marik before looking away. Maybe he was acting too much on impulse when he was supposed to think things thoroughly. Maybe Bakura got hurt because he was looking for comfort in the one being that was incapable of it. Maybe, this was just one of Bakura's jealous fits. _'Maybe the thief king just realized how worthless you are,'_ said a rather amused voice inside his head. Ryou took one last lingering gaze at the thief king before walking out of the house. Bakura did not move to face Ryou, even as he left, just kept his eyes closed and waited for whatever would come. When he was certain that Ryou was out of the room, the thief's body was not tense anymore. He could still feel Marik's presence but didn't comment on that. If the Egyptian was going to do anything, he would be the first one to act because Bakura didn't want anything to do with him at the time. Either Marik was completely oblivious to that or he just didn't care, because he spoke up anyway: "Considering you two share a mind, you don't seem to read each other well."

The thief scoffed. "Shut up," he snapped. "I don't need advice about this from you." But he doubted that would get the former tomb keeper to stay quiet and leave him alone. Marik just laughed, confirming Bakura's inner thoughts, but before the tomb keeper could open his mouth to speak again, Bakura interrupted him: "Get the Millennium Ring." When Marik said nothing, Bakura continued, "I want that Ring off of him. I don't care how you get it; just make sure Ryou doesn't have it."

The Egyptian tilted his head, smirking, but said nothing. He chose to obey the thief's commands, not because he was intimidated, but because he had heard the unspoken promise Bakura had made that Marik could take anything he wanted in return. The thief was showing his cold, calculating side again, letting Marik do whatever he wanted, when he knew said person could be dangerous. He was willing to go to any lengths to get one single thing, and even though his motives were good, the thief king's judgment and methods themselves were unfortunately terribly off. But Marik wouldn't complain as long as he got to have some sort of fun.

He managed to find a decent spot beneath one of the only palm trees in the vicinity. The stars were pretty in Egypt- probably because it was so dark around him. "Maybe I should just stop pretending. This fantasy would soon end anyway so why should I even bother," he whispered, holding the Millennium Ring at hand. Maybe, it would be better if he were to simply disappear from this world. Maybe, this was not supposed to be the place for him. He sighed lightly, hugging his knees closer. After further inspection, he realized that the thief king's coat did not provide him much warmth at all- mostly because he used up his garments as makeshift bandages for the thief king. "Do you really think he wants you here?" a voice whispered as a gust of wind brushed against his side. From a far, one would be able to see the huddle of ghosts making their way towards the pale boy. "Once we have our revenge, you're nothing but garbage that he needs to get rid of," the voice continued, causing Ryou to entertain the thoughts in the first place.

It seemed to him that every time he even tried to push those thoughts out - those emotions out - they just kept rushing back tenfold. "You're not wanted in your home. You're not wanted here either. Maybe you should just disappear." Ryou could barely register anything that was happening around him- save for the buzzing noises created by the shadows around him. The shadows were able to creep around him- teasing him with thoughts that scared the hell out of the boy. They were starting to tinker with his sanity- by playing out Ryou's inner most fears. "Poor little unwanted child. Your mother and sister died because of you. Your father hates you. Why else would he give a vengeful spirit to his son as a present if it was not to toy with your sanity? And Bakura? He probably just wanted you because you were a good lay... And you did not even surrender your innocence to him. Why would he want someone like you?" Ryou's eyes were starting to lose their sparkle- mostly due to the tears that were clouding those bright eyes of his. His light- his hope and his very life was slowly getting sucked away by the shadows around him. "Why would he want someone like me..?" he repeated, finally relenting to the shadows.

Unexpectedly, the shadows dissipated with a loud hiss, causing the boy to force his eyes open. He was wishing that the thief king would be there, hitting him on the head and asking him what he was doing alone in the darkness again. He was praying that Bakura was there to apologize for rejecting him in the hut a while ago. He was hoping that the tomb robber would be there to wrap his arms around the shaking boy. Unfortunately, when the boy slowly lifted his head, he did not find a white-haired thief. Instead, he found the ex-tomb keeper standing there and looking rather annoyed. The boy was surrounded by ghosts murmuring to him, and though Marik could not understand their words, he could tell it was having a bad effect on the boy. Yet he did nothing at first, just watch as the boy slowly began to break down. Watching him lose his sanity was just so much fun... but it would be more fun to cause it himself. That wasn't his goal now, however, so when the ghosts' torture went a bit too far, he stepped in.

"W-Why?" Ryou managed to choke out before biting his lower lip. The boy then proceeded to shaking his head. Marik was probably doing to play with him- probably he wanted to inflict the misery himself instead of seeing others do it to him- a sick and twisted kind of possessive nature. "Probably... Orders... Trying to mess around with me..." he whispered, along with words that would sound like faint murmurs or grunts. "Hey, you should be more careful around here," he said sternly. He certainly didn't look happy about this. "Going out alone is dangerous, you kn-" He cut himself off when the boy wrapped his arms around him and started speaking. He truly sounded broken... like he had nothing left. Had he misunderstood Bakura that badly, or was it just the ghosts that did this?

The boy held the Millennium Ring before looking at the tomb keeper once more. "S-Stop pretending... Nice Mariku..." he whispered, his grip on the Millennium Ring slowly getting loose. "Nice...?" He repeated, clearly dumbfounded. He had never done anything truly nice for anyone, except perhaps for his dominant personality - if only because they both wished it. Marik hated feeling pain and his Yami was all too willing to take it from him. Even his own motivations had been born out of his other personality's darkest wishes and desires. In a way, Marik and his Yami were no different than Ryou and his - but in others, they were the total opposites.

He stood up, trudging towards Marik before wrapping his arms around him in an awkward hug. "Warm... Warm Mariku..." he whispered, gripping tighter around the only being that could offer comfort at that moment, "Owner...""You're blind..." Marik whispered. He wrapped his arms around Ryou anyway, taking a moment to indulge himself. This was a weird feeling he was getting from the boy, and Marik wasn't sure if he liked it or not. "Both of you. So blind..." He traced a hand down Ryou's back, and then pushed the boy away to get a better look at him. He was still gripping the boy's shoulder, but not as hard as usual. The tomb keeper used his free hand to lift the Millennium Ring slightly, looking at the skin underneath it. Five scars... five points where the Millennium Ring had dug into its host's body - it was a way for the Spirit within the Ring to claim his host. Under his breath, Marik whispered in a voice so low he wasn't certain Ryou could even hear him, "Owner? I'm not your owner... he is."

Ryou looked at Marik, eyes glossed over as if trying to understand the motives of the tomb keeper. He was scared- frightened even to a certain extent- of the Egyptian especially after the experience that he forced the boy to endure. However, he could not ignore the warmth that was lingering and flickering every time the tomb keeper was there. Maybe it was because his brain could barely recognize the things that were going on all at once. Marik was the one that caused this weird relationship with Bakura to officially start after all. He knew that if he was not taken like that by the Egyptian, then their first night would not have happened. His eyes looked as if they belonged to a doll- so beautiful and big and yet lifeless all the same. However, the moment the tomb keeper reached for the Millennium Ring, those eyes widened for a moment before grasping it towards his chest and scurrying off away from the tomb keeper.

The boy looked frantic, tears streaming down his cheeks as he held on the Millennium Ring. He raised his hand before feeling the skin under his eye, recalling the incident in the Shadow Realm. His grip on reality was slowly loosening and the boy looked as if he was going to give up soon on his sanity. "Mariku... Owner..." he murmured before feeling the wounds that were barely there in the first place. His memories returned to when he was still fighting against Bakura when he ordered his Yadonushi to give up control of his body in order for the thief king to gain access to it. The wounds were a symbol of submissiveness and this main act was the reason as to why he let Bakura do whatever he wanted while they were in the same body. The boy's eyes watered even more but his form was already lifeless- even disturbing to a certain extent. He looked like his inner soul- save for the twisted smile forced upon his face. _"No, no leaving. I promise,"_he recalled in his head, trembling as he held onto the Millennium Ring like his life depended on it.

"L-Liar..." he whispered. _"You'll be with me until the day I die."_ "Lies... You're full of lies..." _"I love you."_At this point in time, the boy was already hunched over, curled up in a pseudo-ball under the palm tree. His form even stopped shaking, simply looking at the Millennium Ring. Those three words resonated in his head, causing him to stand up from the position, looking at Marik. It finally happened at this point- his sanity slipped from his grasp already. The mind link between the two white-haired boys were already shut off, his mind thinking nothing but serving whoever that would give him orders. Marik simply watched the boy before him as he lost his grip on reality. Something was obviously going through his mind right now as the boy was talking to thin air. Or perhaps he was simply speaking with himself. Either way, Marik had a feeling that Ryou had completely forgotten he was even there, at least until his little psychotic fit passed over. When Ryou snapped out of it, he looked like a totally different person - a pale, walking corpse. Shivers ran down Marik's spine: the boy was broken, dead on the inside, and he wasn't sure if this scared him out or pleased him. He was leaning towards the latter if only because he could feel a twisted surge of energy flying through him. "Is this what you were like when Bakura possessed your body?" Marik wondered aloud. He kind of wanted Ryou to answer, but doubted he would be hearing anything really informative from the boy at this point. He was too far gone to be saved. Ryou ignored the question, deciding that it was time for him to talk to Yuugi.

* * *

While all this was going on above the surface of Kul Elna, underneath it Yuugi was beginning to wake up. As first he felt dizzy, drunk, but slowly he began to realize that he was tied up and in an alarmingly unfamiliar place. His mouth was dry and his throat burning; thankfully he was able to reach the bit of water that had been left for him. _Where am I?_ He wondered, trying to get a good look around. A short distance away, he could see something shining from the dim light of the torches in this dank underground temple. When he squinted, the boy could make out the distinct shimmer of gold. Sure enough, at the right angle he could see just what was shining so brightly. _The Millennium Items!_

Yuugi craned his neck a bit, searching for one particular thing. He noticed three holes in the stone slab (one for the Eye, one for the Rod, and more importantly, one for the Ring), but he couldn't even find it in him to be worried about those three vacancies when he caught sight of the one Millennium Item that he had always kept with him until now. _The Millennium Puzzle! It's here! _Yuugi thought. He began to struggle against his bonds, giving up quickly when he realized it would be pointless. He wasn't going to get any close to the Puzzle than he already was. _Other me! Pharaoh! I've found the Millennium Items! I... I don't know where I am, but I can see the Puzzle! _He could only hope that his Yami could hear him and would soon be coming to find him.

Zorc had started to access the mind link between Yuugi and the pharaoh. The mind link was weak and quite severed due to the absence of the Millennium Puzzle but nonetheless, the mind link still existed within them. He saw the situation in Kul Elna perfectly, noticing that the boy was frantically calling out for his beloved pharaoh- someone that would not come in the first place. _'I don't care about you, Yuugi. I already found my place back in Egypt. Why should I even bother myself with looking for you? To think that you actually believed me when I told you that I loved you. You and Bakura are no different from each other- easily fooled by words that can be said anytime for a good lay,'_ the dark lord responded, perfectly mimicking the voice of the pharaoh. The pain was slowly surging through the mind link and Zorc could only smile in response. The first step to plunging the world in complete darkness? Get rid of the light within the darker beings.

The words that flowed freely into Yuugi's mind hit him hard. _N-no... you're lying to me. This... this is t-to protect me, r-right?_This couldn't be his Yami, could it? His Yami was usually so caring and gentle with him, never once putting him at risk and always doing his best to try and protect Yuugi from any type of harm - physical, emotional, anything. So why was there that sudden change in attitude? Had he really been used all this time? It was true, there was a time when the spirit that shared his body had been less than honorable, and he used to commit terrible acts on an almost daily basis... he may have been Yuugi's 'dark side', and had acted somewhat corrupt in the past, but this wasn't what he was like now! Not with his friends and especially not with the one he had called Aibou!

Despite the tears spilling freely out of Yuugi's eyes and the way his body was shaking with sobs, he would not allow himself to be convinced that the Pharaoh was saying these things. _It can't be you. I know you, Yami; you're my partner... we've been through so much together! I know that when you said you loved me you weren't lying. I could feel it, Yami! This isn't you!_ But in truth, Yuugi's heart was slowly breaking. He knew it couldn't be his Yami saying this, so something must have happened if their mind link was being abused like this. Did someone hurt his other self? Was the Pharaoh still even... alive? It was that thought that sent the poor boy into another fit of hysterics. If something had happened to his Yami, Yuugi didn't know what he would do.

Suddenly, Ryou had burst in the room. The tomb keeper followed obediently when Ryou headed towards where Yuugi was being kept. Said boy looked up when his captors entered the room, immediately backing up to press himself against the pillar he had been tied up against. He allowed them to speak first, but it seemed Ryou was the only one that wanted to say anything. He refused to accept that the Pharaoh had been 'dealt with', as Ryou had so-put it, despite the worries he had about the same thing moments ago. But those words also gave him hope: Perhaps this Zorc was the one saying these things, just to mess with them. But that meant that his Pharaoh was, indeed, in danger... "Where's your pharaoh, now, Yuugi? You should just give up trying to contact him. Zorc probably dealt with him already or maybe, he's toying with you right now," he whispered, making his way towards the boy. The shackles on him were immediately taken off as Ryou looked at Yuugi. His face was near the smaller boy's, almost millimeters apart as he pinned the boy against the column. "No one is capable of loving you or me, Yuugi. Love does not exist- only want," he whispered, neck tilting to get a better look of the boy. "No." Yuugi looked up at Ryou, eyes defiant and passionate in ways that they rarely showed. "You're wrong. Neither of us deserves this. This isn't you, Bakura-kun. I don't know what happened, but... I know that the real you is still there." "Let me tell you a secret so that you won't feel that bad about trusting me, alright?" he asked, his lips contorting in a psychotic grin. He pressed his lips against Yuugi's ear before grinning. "I'm tasked to kill you. I took off your shackles but that doesn't mean I'm letting you go. I just don't like you all tied up like that- even I'm not that heartless. But take one step towards those Millennium Items or outside this door and I will not hesitate in taking your precious life away from you. Marik, guard him, please," he muttered before turning around. With that, the boy took his leave.

He didn't flinch when he was told that he was going to die - Yuugi had already suspected as much, but that didn't mean hearing that his friend was going to be the one to take his life didn't hurt. It did. And the way Ryou was acting - so unbalanced, so terrifyingly hollow - that was what terrified Yuugi. "You're better than this, Bakura-kun. The Spirit of the Ring can't force you to do anything unless he takes over your body. I've seen you fight against him before - you can do it now. The only one that's making you do these terrible things is you!"

Yuugi continued to shout after Ryou even as the other boy left. Soon enough Yuugi was alone with Marik. Neither of them said anything until the Egyptian walked towards the stone slab and took the Millennium Pendant out of its slot. He held it up by the cord, examining it. "I'm envious," he muttered, just loud enough so that Yuugi could hear. The boy's attention was immediately grabbed. "For so long, my other self has wanted to kill you ... even after you accepted him, he still resented you. I want to be the one to slit your throat... for him, and for myself." He turned to look at Yuugi now, whose eyes had started to grow wide in fear. The boy didn't know what to make of this, really. Marik continued: "And this Item... it can give the wearer the power to summon God. I wonder what Zorc would think if the Sun God were to make an appearance..."

He gave another significant look to Yuugi. Whether or not the boy understood what he meant, Marik knew what his next move was going to be.


	32. Utter Devotion

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hello my adorable readers~

I'm sick right now and I just came from the doctors. I was really sad that the doctor asked me to drink a hell lot of meds to get this virus off of me. Gah, I really really hate getting sick. 3:

In any case, I did not want to keep you guys waiting for too long, considering that you waited for more than a month for the last chapter to be posted. :D

For the readers who managed to get a glimpse of my profile with that huge chunk of spoiler, yeah... That was my bad. 3: I shall apologize for showing such spoiler to some readers. Since some of the readers prolly saw it and some readers prolly did not, I shall put you in equal footing. **There will be character death in Chapter 33.** I shall not disclose anything aside from that.

Alright, onto chapter 32. Chapter 32 is about Ryou and Bakura's confrontation. We do hope that you guys enjoy this chapter! This chapter is really really heavy. Will Ryou and Bakura break up?

We do not own YGO nor any of its characters. We're still making underground negotiations to overthrow K.T. as the owner. :3

**Chapter Warnings:** Insane!Ryou

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**Chapter 32: **Utter Devotion.

Ryou could feel his heart twitch in pain as he returned to the house that Bakura was in. He looked at the thief before taking off his red robe and the Millennium Ring. The surge of power suddenly disappeared, causing the boy to frown. He placed the items beside the thief king before sitting at the other edge of the bed. He leaned against the wall, eyes staring up at the ceiling and yet remaining quiet. Deep inside, the boy wondered if the thief would even notice that his heart was broken and that his soul was already shattered- or the fact that only he could mend it all.

Above ground, by the time Ryou reached him, Bakura was still where he had been left. Now, however, he was no longer alone: ghosts were flying around him and he was reaching out to touch them, only to have them slip through his fingertips. They were whispering to him, telling him their thoughts and sharing their anger and hatred. The thief had heard it all before - nothing had changed, only now they were inquiring about the boy that had been brought to this village and why he was still here. Bakura did not answer any of those questions.

He looked up when he heard a noise and frowned when he saw Ryou. The damage in the boy's appearance did not go unnoticed, but he didn't remark on it. He wasn't even sure if the boy was going to be staying here or if he was just checking up on the wounded thief. When the red cloak came off of the boy and the Millennium Ring followed it, Bakura wasn't sure what to make of it. He waited for Ryou to sit down, then slowly shifted to sit next to the boy. He placed his hand next to his host's, touching only the fingertips (just barely) because he didn't want to alarm the obviously broken child next to him. This self-restraint lasted all of a minute before the thief king turned and gently kissed the boy. It was slow and chaste, filled somehow with sadness. When he pulled away, Bakura simply looked Ryou in the eyes. "You're dying," he whispered, as if it were just a casual observation. But if one listened closely, they could hear the sadness and regret dripping from the thief king's tone. The ghosts were watching all around, staying perfectly still and silent. "You're dying... because of me."

Ryou could barely register what Bakura was telling him. All he could remember were some of the words that the thief king said. The boy kept flinching as he tried to read the words from the movements of the thief king's lips but they do not make much sense to Ryou. "Dying..." he whispered, mostly repeating what the thief king uttered- or at least, what he could hear from him. Any move Bakura made was simply ignored as those dull eyes stared at the thief king's form. He wanted to listen in to the only words that he could understand; however, his brain was molding the words into something entirely different. His eyebrows would furrow once or twice, indicating his confusion about what the thief was trying to say. He stared at the thief before raising a hand to touch the thief's scar. His movements were the same as before- graceful and light- but there was something different about the way he touched the thief now.

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, staring anywhere but at the boy he was talking to. He couldn't bring himself to meet those dead, empty eyes - they were so unlike the vibrant, expressive ones he had come to love in his Hikari. Even before he had fallen for the boy, Bakura had always loved Ryou's eyes. "I never meant for this to happen. I tried to be careful... tried to protect you from this, even when I was the one causing it to happen..." He trailed off, gaze shifting now down to the Millennium Ring on the bed.

"Why don't you trust me? You never have, not even when I offered everything for you. Not when we shared a body... not after... not now. I told you, Ryou, I love you. But I can't go on like this if this is going to be the result." He then took the boy's hand, fixing him with a stern look, directly in his eyes. "If I'm the one that ends up killing you... then we're going together. I promise you this."

"Trust..." he whispered, blinking twice as if the only part of him that actually made sense was trying to piece together these little words that he kept hearing. "Play... thing," he stated, recalling the conversation the thief had with the dark lord. The thief probably used that term to protect the boy from the wrath of the evil god but he could have chosen a better term for him, right? "L-Love me..." he stuttered in a voice barely qualified as a whisper. Ryou shook before tilting his head upwards. The thief was saying something about trust, killing Ryou, and loving him. It did not really make much sense to his brain but it seemed as if his heart was still trying to understand the message that needed much decoding on his part.

While he was with Yuugi and Marik a while ago, their voices were loud and clear. Ryou was able to understand them fully- albeit, he would ignore some of the messages but nonetheless, he was able to hear them perfectly. With Bakura; however, his emotions stirred within him. He could not tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing but his heart would beat so rapidly at every glimpse the thief would give him. "Baku... Doesn't want Ryou around... B-Bakura said that Ryou should go away a while ago... Baku was the one who pushed Ryou away... Baku lied to Ryou," he whispered trying his best to form cohesive sentences but he ended up speaking that way. Bakura's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene before him unfold. He really did not know what to make of it, because Ryou's thoughts were so scattered and erratic that they couldn't make any kind of sense at all to the thief king no matter how hard he tried to understand them. "Lied...?" He repeated, as if the very concept were foreign to him. Why was that a big deal? Bakura lied all the time, and though he rarely outright lied to his host, he did have a tendency to hide the truth from him. But what kind of lie was Ryou talking about now? He couldn't remember just what he had said to make the boy think this, and if he had, he must have had a good reason for it. "What are you talking about?" He asked. The thief king was truly confused at this point.

His brain was malfunctioning and he was losing himself further into the darkness. No matter how innocent or how light bound the boy was, the darkness was slowly eating him up. The ghosts were not much help either, simply fueling his rage and other negative thoughts as they made him see their relationship in through their own twisted vengeful eyes. "Bakura will leave you soon... Worthless boy. Why would he want something like you? The thief king is our king!"

The ghosts' voice kept increasing in volume as he moved closer towards the thief. The voices would get louder and louder at every inch that he moved closer to the thief king. "B-Baku... Scared... No leaving again... Promised..." he whispered, staring at his lap. Their bodies were near each other but they were not touching yet. The boy's form was shaking again, as if he was trying to grasp on the little thread of resolve he had within him but to no avail. "Spend rest of lives together... Together. No. No leaving. No. No. No. No..." he whispered before pressing their bodies together in an awkward hug. In truth, the boy was in a predicament. Though Ryou continued to move closer to him, the thief did not reach out to hold him. The boy had not responded to his touches earlier, so he figured that it must have to be Ryou that initiated the contact for it to have any sort of effect.

"I'm not leaving," he said slowly. His voice showed signs that he was still quite bewildered. "I told you, I'm not... I'm never leaving you..." Bakura did not know what to think when he felt the boy pressed against him. It took a short moment for him to respond, doing so by wrapping his arms possessively around Ryou and pulling him even closer. It was a warm, protective embrace, one meant to show Ryou just how deeply the thief meant what he had said. The voices of the ghosts only further increased at this, and though Bakura could not understand the murmurs (as they were directed at the boy in his arms), he was finding them increasingly annoying, possibly even harmful. He turned his head to glare at the ones closest to Ryou, all lined up. "Leave!" He shouted at them. A few of them dispersed, leaving with nothing but a chilling sound that almost resembled laughter. The rest continued their assault until Bakura repeated himself. But they were definitely going to come back when they got the chance.

His heart was trying to gain back his sanity and yet his mind was happy in this state- confused and utterly out of the norm. Ryou widened his eyes before looking up as he touched his cheeks. "Wet... T-Tears... Kura..." he whispered before looking up at the thief. The spark in his eyes was dim- barely noticeable- but the boy knew that the thief would know what Ryou was trying to portray. He looked back down at Ryou, raising a hand slowly to gently touch the boy's face and wipe away some of the tears. "Stop crying," he whispered. "I hate it when you cry." He did not mean it in a cold way, as he had so long ago within Ryou's body. No, back then the tears were nothing but a sign of weakness, but now... the thief felt as if he couldn't stand to see the boy upset like this. Or maybe he just hated seeing his Yadonushi so weak. It pulled at him, made Bakura want to simply pull Ryou away from reality altogether and deal with whatever had upset him. Every time Ryou had been upset while the Spirit inhabited his mind and body, said spirit would simply take over and eliminate the cause of the problem. Now, however, that wasn't possible. Ryou was losing his sanity altogether just because he had the misfortune of falling in love with the King of Thieves. He was dying, as Bakura had said - slowly, but he wasn't gone yet. There was still a flicker of emotion, of life and sanity still there underneath all the confusion and darkness in Ryou's eyes.

It was the look of desperation- of utter defeat. The boy was broken and Ryou was not entirely sure that Bakura could pick up the pieces this time around. "Please, N-No more pushing Ryou away. No leaving... No dying... Together," he requested, looking at the thief king for answers. The boy was a step away from falling into darkness completely and fully and yet, here was the thief- holding onto the boy. His brain hurt as he tried to come up with an answer as to why Bakura was doing this. Finding none, the boy pushed the thief against the bed, palms pressed against the thief's shoulders. His eyes shone brightly as he found himself in this familiar position with Bakura, experiencing a lucid interval as he stared down at the thief. The bright eyes stared down at the thief's deep orbs with much sadness in fear. "W-Why? Why would you want me? Why am I worthy of your love?" he asked, his nails digging on the thief's shoulder- sign of the great tension that he was feeling within.

He allowed himself to be pushed to the bed, closing his eyes. It felt familiar, but all wrong how they were positioned. It wasn't in passion, like before, it was because they both needed answers. Bakura wasn't sure he had any, but he tried. "We're the same," he whispered, clutching onto Ryou tightly. "We're both lost... both broken... We've been through so much, you and me. And yet we're nowhere near the end..." He sighed and looked back into the boy's eyes, searching once again for that small amount of light. "We complete each other... darkness and light. Neither of us is simply one or the other - we balance out. What I lack, you make up for... and what you need, I supply."

The king of thieves could hardly bring himself to give the true answer to Ryou's question. In the end, he closed his eyes and simply spoke what he truly felt: "To answer your question... I don't know. I don't know why, Ryou. All I know is that I want you, I need you, I love you... And I could ask you the exact same question. You never deserved to have suffered like this, so why do you continue to choose to? Why do you waste your time with me?" It had always been a question on the Spirit's mind - when he knew Ryou disliked playing host to him so much, and how often he would hear complaints and declarations of hatred in the boy's mind, Ryou would still constantly reach out for the Ring to pull his parasite back to him. They were poisonous for each other in every possible way. Yet Bakura could not imagine living any differently at all, and knew Ryou felt the same.

Ryou's eyes stared down at the white-haired thief, now fully hearing and understanding what he was saying. The mind link was slowly being reestablished and when it formed back, the boy could not help but to grip on his shoulders even more in outright shock. The thief's emotions were so clear- so vibrant- to the extent that the boy was feeling so overwhelmed by it.

Did the thief feel this strongly towards him before?

Did he really feel these surges of emotions every time Ryou was there?

It was then when Ryou finally realized that the thief was this madly in love with him.

"Baku..." he whispered, eyes flickering for a while before pulling him in that soft embrace that he used to give the thief. Bakura was never one to simply state the words that he meant. Half of the time, Ryou had to assume as to what he was trying to say. His gaze lingered on the thief's eyes- the only thing that remained so passionate about him. A smile of contentment grazed the boy's lips the moment he heard what the thief had to say.

"You... need me," he whispered, mostly to let the message sink in. The boy could not help but to simply smile as he leaned against the thief's chest in an attempt to calm himself down. "With the way you're acting, it seems to me that you're desperately trying to tell me that you do need me. No, Bakura. I need you and not the other way around," he whispered, completely reliant on the thief king now. The thief was his world- his life- and there was no way that he would want to get separated from him. "I made you need me- made it so that you would never find a different host rather than me. I made you love me," he whispered before shaking his head for the nth time today. His eyes closed for a brief moment, sighing lightly before looking up at him. There it was. All of the emotions suddenly surged through the mind link and through the physical contact, emotions that were just as strong as what the thief was portraying.

The boy looked up at the thief with those soft brown eyes that Bakura loved so much. They held so much expression now- mostly of his love for the thief king. A little color was placed back on his cheeks but whether this was a simply lucid interval or the boy finally snapping out of his insanity, one wouldn't really know. "I love you and I'm willing to accept anything that you give me. I love you to the extent that even if you end up giving me the blade to take my own life, I would gladly receive it- just knowing that it came from you. I love you because I do. I apologize for making you explain yourself to me when I do not have the answers to those questions. All I know is that I cannot live another waking moment without you by my side. I do not love you because I need you, Bakura. I need you because I love you. I-I..." his voice trailed off as he looked at the thief before pulling the thief closer in an innocent lip lock. Through the kiss, they were feeling every emotion possible, a gust of feelings slowly carrying them away to the world of their own. Ryou felt complete whenever he was with Bakura.

Bakura couldn't help but smirk now that he was feeling his Hikari come back to his normal self. It immediately cheered the thief up, and before he could stop himself, he was tapping Ryou on the side of the head. "Idiot Yadonushi," he chided. "We need each other. It's always been that way."

He parted from the kiss to simply position himself better. He placed a leg in between the thief's thighs in order to avoid putting in any unnecessary pressure on the wound. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Kura. Would you forgive me?" He pulled Ryou closer, shifting underneath him to find the most comfortable position while still being as close as they possibly could. He laughed when the boy asked for forgiveness. "Of course I forgive you." He couldn't deny the boy that even if he had wanted got the thief's hand before placing it on his neck in order to put Bakura's attention on the mark on it. "Zorc... marked me. I have to kill Yuugi but in return... He said he would let me stay with you. P-Please... I-I want to be with you," he whispered, blushing deeply when he realized the connotation of what he just said.

The quick change in the thief's mood shifted back almost as quickly as it had come. He traced the mark that the evil god had left on the boy, frowning at it. He couldn't say he liked the idea of having Zorc mark his Hikari, but what could he do about it now? And if it meant that Ryou would be spared, even if for a little while... "Do you believe him?" the thief asked suddenly. He himself wasn't sure he could trust that, but if this was the offer... then they would have to be willing to take it for now. Still, Bakura had to ensure somehow that nothing would happen to put Ryou in danger. An idea was starting to form in his mind, but it would be tricky to pull off.

Suddenly, the thief looked outside, noticing that it had gotten a lot brighter all of a sudden. He would have loved to ignore it and simply spend some time with Ryou to completely repair whatever had been hurt between them, but this was very worrying. The thief was suddenly overcome with a strong feeling of anger at himself, only because he was too hurt to properly move. He was able to stand, but doing so made his vision waver and pain shoot through every inch of his body. Did I really hit myself that hard? He couldn't even believe it himself. He eventually relented and decided to wait until the dark god returned. At least he knew Zorc had the strange power to cure injuries, just like he had closed the open cuts on the thief king's body.

He turned back to Ryou and pulled the boy back to him once more. "You're going to be with me. I won't allow things to be any other way." The look in his eyes only added certainty to Bakura's words. This was a promise, one he intended to keep, even if it meant putting himself in danger. His idea was already set out now, and it would be risky... but if Bakura played his cards right, his gamble was sure to pay off. The thief king never took chances he couldn't recover from, after all.


	33. Losing you

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Happy Saturday Evening or Sunday Morning, guys! :D

First of all, I would want to thank our lovely readers for giving this story a hell lot of hits. As per ten months, this story has garnered more than 7,000 hits, and we are really really grateful for that.

Here's one of the darkest chapters in this story. As for the questions if this story is coming to an end, I would have to say that you would just have to read to find out. :3

As the chapter title and warning implies, this chapter does have character death. I do hope that you guys do not hate me or Chiba-kun for letting that happen. We both believe that it was high time for that to happen. Also, this chapter talks about what happened between the dark lord/Seth and the pharaoh during the commotion at Kul Elna, Scandalshipping anyone?

No words can explain this chapter. It is relatively shorter than most of the chapters and I do hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. Please do review when you have the time. :D

YGO and the characters do not belong to us. The plot does though. ;3

**Chapter Warnings:** Character Death, Implied Sexy Time

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******C**hapter 33: Losing you.

The dark lord was slightly pissed off that the ghosts of the abandoned city were working against him in protecting their only surviving heir. He could not talk to the thief king nor could he contact his host either. He was seething with anger, running his hand through his dark brown hair before sitting up. A blanket was covering his lower half in hopes of concealing what needs to be covered in case any spectators would come in the room. The only thing that was preventing the dark lord from snapping was the fact that he had a naked pharaoh beside him, covered with different love marks here and there. He grazed the tips of his fingers against the pharaoh's neck and chest before grinning lightly. Of course, nothing could compare to his favorite toy but the pharaoh was not a bad mate either. If not, he was more giving than the thief and the nameless pharaoh was more than willing to serve his "childhood friend" in hopes of getting his own satisfaction.

Everything that occurred in the pharaoh's chambers was heard by the king's Hikari. The boy clutched at his forehead, crying out in pain, as if the mind link had somehow hurt him physically instead of just emotionally. Something was wrong; he couldn't speak to the Pharaoh, and he could hear someone else's voice, too. Marik looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "What's the matter with you?" He asked, though his tone implied he wasn't at all concerned for the boy's well-being. Yuugi just looked up, face clearly showing pain.

"I... I heard him... the Pharaoh," He panted. "And someone else... S-Seth, I think... the High Priest." What would the High Priest be doing trying to stop the Pharaoh from leaving, when previously said pharaoh had declared that the two most important things to him at the moment were finding Yuugi and defeating the Thief King? The boy couldn't figure it out, but Marik was eyeing him with interest. "Tell me everything they're saying," he instructed. "And come with me."

Grabbing Yuugi by the wrist, the Egyptian pulled the small Hikari along with him out of the underground temple and into the open air. He had no intention of letting the boy go, but he needed to see if his plan was working. Sure enough, there were rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds in the night sky. Marik's eyes lit up with a deranged sort of excitement. Yuugi followed this gaze to the sky, wondering what could possibly be happening until Marik spoke up, softly whispering a single word: "Ra..."

A moment later, the Egyptian turned back to Yuugi and pulled on his arm harshly, tightening his grip until it was unbearably painful. "Well? Speak up! What are they saying?" Yuugi yelped a bit in response. He knew he had to be careful around this crazed tomb keeper, but right now his choices of action were severely limited. It seemed like, for the time being, Marik was on his side, if only because the Egyptian had claimed he didn't want anyone else to get the chance to kill Yuugi until he had done it. So why was he waiting? Was he planning something? The boy shook his head and relented, paraphrasing every single word and noise that he heard coming from the palace.

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It was after dressing up that the dark lord realized that it was high time to make further preparations. He walked towards the balcony as he overlooked the whole of Egypt. Faces of misery and woe greeted him, causing him to smirk in delight. However, he was immediately shocked the moment he saw something coming down from the sky. "It could not possibly be..." he whispered before glaring at the light. He knew what that light meant and he knew that Marik was defying him. _'You will pay for this...'_

Atem woke up moments later only to be greeted by an immense headache and body pains that fell upon his shoulders. "A-Aibou?" he said, turning to his side. Unfortunately, an empty space greeted him, causing the pharaoh to frown even more. _'Aibou? A-Aibou! Where are you? I will find you and I will rescue you!'_ the pharaoh exclaimed- obviously frantic. However, his partner's voice did not come back as a reply. Instead, the pharaoh simply heard the voice of the High Priest. "My lord, I've caught sight of the thief's hiding place. There's a possibility that your concubine is there," the dark lord stated, causing the pharaoh to look up. Zorc walked towards him before placing his hands on the young leader's shoulders, massaging him while slowly putting him under his influence as well. "You look tired, my pharaoh. You should rest first," he cooed, his breath brushing against his ears some. The pharaoh could not even hold back the moan that was aching to pass between his dry lips. Unfortunately for the pharaoh, the dark lord decided to play a mean trick on him. Zorc did not even bother to pretend to be Atem once more. No, the little gamer was too trusting for that kind of manipulation. However, doubt will surely stir within the boy the moment he hears the pharaoh moaning someone else's name. "Se-Seth..." he groaned, gripping on the Holder of the Rod. As fate would have it, Yuugi was hearing every single sound.

The pharaoh was one nudge away from falling into the dark lord's plans when he heard the whimper in his thoughts. _'A-Aibou..?'_he called out in the mind link as if he had not talked to him in ages. The young pharaoh furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side when it dawned to him as to what they were doing. He gasped as memories of the night of passion repeated in his head, causing him to pull away from the high priest. Seth was simply staring at him with an apathetic gaze. Deep inside, the dark lord was smirking in amusement. The look of horror plastered on the pharaoh's face was priceless. "My lord?" he asked, watching the pharaoh as he tried to move as far from the priest as possible without totally embarrassing the High Priest. Atem cleared his throat, looking at Seth before looking away. "Prepare the horses, Seth. We're going for Yuugi," he stated before looking for a fresh set of clothes.

It did not take long for them to get on their horses and make their way towards the abandoned village. The ride was long; however, and they had to stop twice due to the raging sandstorm that kept on threatening the desert grounds. The pharaoh looked up, eyes widening upon seeing the rays of the sun fall on a particular place- around an hour of travel from where they were. "Ra... But it can't be! As the pharaoh, I'm the only one capable of summoning the god of the sun!" he exclaimed before getting up again. The dark lord was glaring at the summoned god, knowing that this would lessen his powers. What exactly was Marik doing in the first place? The loyalty of the sun god did not fall on him- it was with the pharaoh of the whole of Egypt. _'That damned tomb keeper's bitten off more than he could chew,'_ he thought, before starting their trip to Kul Elna once more. Sure, this would hinder his revival but at the same time, he could work well with this. With Marik controlling Ra, the sun god was already corrupted.

Outside, when Yuugi heard something in his mind about the Pharaoh deciding to leave to find him, he could feel his heart leap with joy. "He's coming!" The boy exclaimed. "The Pharaoh is coming!" He had momentarily forgotten that Marik was with him (despite the strong grip on his arm), and especially that they weren't the only ones there. He was unaware of the conscious thief king, but there was still Ryou to worry about, someone who, for all Yuugi knew, was still as broken and deranged enough to go through with his threats. His voice carried a bit, far enough that Bakura and his Hikari in the nearby house could hear him. "I was expecting him sooner... but I wonder who's accompanying him?" He smirked at Ryou, pulling him down into a fierce kiss. _If everything plays out well... we can finally be assured that we'll both live through this._

When the Pharaoh finally reached the village of Kul Elna with his priests (The remaining three had been summoned to attend this little outing as well), Marik was already standing there waiting. The Sun God was behind him, wings spread and poised to await commands. It was easy for the Pharaoh to see just why said god was here when he caught a glimpse of the Millennium Pendant around the tomb keeper's neck. Yuugi was still within the grasp of said tomb keeper, but his yes had lit up when he saw his other self. "Yami!" He cried out in joy. Tears were filling his eyes. _I was so worried... I thought you had forgotten about me!_

Marik's eyes narrowed and the Sun God took to the sky. "You're just in time, Pharaoh," he said, looking all too smug about the position he was in right now. "I was just about to start having my fun with your little vessel here... but now that you've come, he doesn't have to feel all this excitement alone. He can share it with you now!"

The dark lord was clearly amused with the way Marik was handling the small boy in his arms. If only the tomb keeper did have the stupidity to go against his plans, then maybe he would have been a better minion than the thief king. Loyalty was something that the evil god valued a lot and realizing that the Egyptian was now going against his plans, it truly made him upset. He took one good look around the village, noticing that the thief king and his host was nowhere to be seen. He glared at the tomb keeper before looking at the pharaoh. Atem was staring Yuugi, looking for a way to get him out of the tomb keeper's grasp. In truth, he was shocked that the being was back- given that he already disposed of the said darkness while they were in the Battle City tournament. "Marik... What do you want from me? I'll give you anything you want if... if you just let Yuugi go. I beg of you," he whispered, staring at the dark being. Seth cleared his throat before gripping on the Millennium Rod, "I shall look for the thief king. Maybe, he's still here." With one last lingering glance at the tomb keeper, he made his way towards the hut that they were staying in.

When the door was opened, his eyes fell on the keepers of the Millennium Ring, side by side yet all tangled up in a passionate embrace. "Looks like you two do not have a care in the world. The pharaoh's outside and the stupid grave keeper summoned the Sun god," he muttered. Upon further inspection, no one would be able to know as to where Ryou would start and Bakura would end as their limbs were wrapped against each other so tightly. Save for the obvious change in skin color, one would think that the two were already conjoined. The boy was the one who pulled away first the moment he heard the voice of the dark lord. His half-lidded eyes were immediately widened as his gaze fell on the High Priest's body. The boy whimpered, clutching on Bakura again, burying his face on the thief's shoulder as if trying to hide himself from the dark lord. "H-He's going to take you away from me... N-No..."

Zorc raised an eyebrow upon seeing the bundle of nerves in the hands of the thief king. It looked like the boy had finally snapped out of his sanity and was now relying on the thief king for strength and stability. "On the contrary, you must now fulfill your job, Ryou," his body tensed upon hearing his name, pupils dilating in shock. The dark lord has never referred to him by his name and just hearing it from Zorc truly sent chills everywhere. He furrowed his eyebrows before he felt his body pull away from his thief. The boy did not leave; however, simply staring at the thief as the dark lord made his way towards him.

The dark being placed a hand on the thief's wounds and almost immediately, the look of pain on the thief was replaced by a look of relief. The bandages were removed and upon further inspection, the wound was gone- as if it was not even there in the first place. "You must hold your end of the bargain, Ryou. You must kill that pharaoh's source of energy. The moment you do, then my world will finally be created and to think that your happiness is only hindered by that boy's life."

The white-haired boy simply nodded. He could not do anything about this, right? He stood up, putting the thief's cloak on before leaving the hut. The cloak covered his long white hair and if one would not look carefully, one would mistake him as the thief king. "I do but wonder how that boy would take little Yuugi's life when Marik has the puzzle keeper in his arms. It will surely be a wonderful fight; don't you think so, Akefia?" With that, he started to laugh darkly, a sinister look present on his face as he continued to rejoice the demise of the pharaoh and his lover.

When he stepped out of the house, the pharaoh was already on his knees begging for the release of his partner. Ryou's eyes narrowed, knowing the position that Yami was in. He knew the pain of losing your love in front of your very eyes. Just knowing that he was the one who caused Yuugi so much pain and suffering must have hurt Atem thoroughly. Akunadin, Isis and Shada were already on the ground, apparently unconscious from the attacks of the Winged Dragon of Ra. The boy shifted his gaze to Marik, noticing the enjoyment on his eyes upon seeing other people's misery.

He made his way towards the boy, looking at Marik before sighing lightly. "This is not your job, Mariku. Let me do this- you can deal with the pharaoh when I'm done with Yuugi," he muttered darkly, his arms wrapping around Marik from behind. Marik's laughter rang out louder than anything else, even the Pharaoh's desperate pleas for him to stop. "I don't want anything from you, Pharaoh," Marik hissed. "I've already taken the Millennium Puzzle and the Sun God. All that's left to do is kill you and your vessel." But he stopped at Ryou's voice, laughing a bit. "I suppose I could let you do it... as long as I get one of them in the end." Ryou did not reach for the pendant around his neck, but instead, reached for the knife in his pocket. His head hung low as Ryou moved around him, to the point that he was already in front of Yuugi.

"You understand why I'm doing this right?" he said, smiling lightly though his deep chocolate eyes looked as if they were apologizing to the smaller boy. His eyes narrowed down before pressing the blade against the boy's neck, whispering a quick apology. He pressed the blade deeper drawing some blood, gripping on the knife in order to deepen the wound that he was creating. "It was either your happiness or mine, Yuugi. I apologize," he whispered. The moment he was about to make the cut on the boy's neck, he felt something- utter pain.

The blade was immediately dropped; Ryou gasping deeply as he looked down. The white-haired boy's gaze immediately met with the tip of the pharaoh's sword. "I won't let you take away the life that gave me mine," Atem whispered before pulling the sword out of the boy. His vision dimmed, only able to notice Seth walking out of the house with the thief king. His arm reached out to the thief king's direction before his knees finally gave in. Ryou's vision was swimming, trying to focus on the thief's form, trying to speak only to have a small trickle of blood escape his lips. _'So this is what it feels like…'_ he thought, finally closing his eyes.

The boy had collapsed; the pharaoh backing away from his partner and the deranged tomb keeper that was holding him. He then pointed his bloody broad sword towards Marik's direction as a challenge for the tomb keeper. "Fight like a man, Marik. I know that you're after me so stop being a coward by using Yuugi as your shield!" The pharaoh stood tall, ready to strike but upon further inspection, he did not see the thief king in the red cloak, but instead he saw Yuugi's friend. "B-Bakura…" he muttered, eyes still wide open.

The realization hit him hard; it was not the thief king that he killed but instead, it was the gaming friend that Yuugi held dear.

The dark lord looked at the pharaoh amused. He knew that if he provoked the pharaoh, then the Ring-keeper would get hurt. However, he did not fathom that the pharaoh would actually do something as drastic at this. In truth, Zorc did not do this elaborate plan just out of spite against Ryou but instead, it was to fuel the rage that was dormant within Bakura. He smirked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Look... The pharaoh took something else away from you," he whispered, his lips pressed against thief's ear. Atem looked up. shocked that Seth was by the thief's side, "W-What is the meaning of this, Seth?"

"Foolish little pharaoh. I am not high priest that swore his eternal loyalty to you. I am Zorc, the god of darkness. But enough about me; It seems like my pet wants to have a word with you," he grinned, looking at Bakura, "He took your precious Yadonushi. Now, what will you do with him?"


	34. A New Deal

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Here's a message from Chiba-kun!~

_Hi everyone! Just wanted to say again thank you so much for reading our story! I hope that you enjoy this chapter, as it is without a doubt one of my favourite moments of Love Me So Tender. In fact, it may just be my favourite part! As for why that is, you'll have to read to find out._

_I hope you all continue to enjoy our story and make us both happy by letting us know! And feel free to send me a PM or something if you feel like it. I don't bite~._

Send her a message and let her know she's loved! The URL is in my profile. :]

We do not own YGO or any of its characters. If we did, every episode would be R-rated or so. :D

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**Chapter 34: **A New Deal

When Seth's body entered the house that the two white-haired boys were waiting in, Bakura couldn't have cared less. If anything, he was annoyed that things had to start happening again now, so soon after just barely convincing Ryou to hold on to what he still had. So he simply glared as the boy was pulled out of his grasp and waited for what was to come next. Bakura knew what was supposed to happen, but he had a bad feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. They always seemed to. But he gave a small nod to Ryou anyway before he left, silently telling the boy to trust him and go along with what was being planned out for him.

He followed the dark god outside, finding it not painful at all to walk. His vision was no longer blurring and his head had stopped pounding; he had recovered completely from the earlier attack. The first thing he saw was the bodies of the priests scattered about on the ground, something that he was intensely interested in. Namely, the body of Akunadin, who still held the Millennium Eye. Bakura's natural impulses to steal from the fallen had not left him at all, but this time his reasoning went a little bit deeper than just greed and revenge. No, he suppressed the current urge he had in favor of waiting - Akunadin's time would come soon enough. Besides, he was more concerned with the voices he was hearing now.

What happened next, even Bakura wasn't sure of. He could see his Yadonushi with Yuugi, pressing a blade down into his neck. For a moment, Bakura thought that Yuugi was really going to die... until he saw the Pharaoh turn and attack the boy. The thief's eyes widened in shock. This couldn't be real! He was imagining it, right? There was no way the Pharaoh would attack his friend... but then it hit him; the way Ryou had been positioned, nobody could get a good look at him. For all the Pharaoh knew, it was really the King of Thieves he had killed. Said thief couldn't even move with the shock, and only got his bearings back when a voice was whispered in his ear. "Ph-pharaoh..." Bakura's voice was so low, so dangerous; the rage could practically be seen pouring from his words. His body was shaking in complete and absolute fury; but it wasn't just the Pharaoh that had caused this.

It was him, it was Ryou, it was Zorc...

It took all the energy that Bakura had not to run forward and snap the Pharaoh's neck, tear his eyes out, or even just kill him, but he managed to suppress everything and walked forwards slowly, falling to his knees in front of his Hikari. Yuugi was clutching the wound in his neck, but it was bleeding badly. Bakura ignored that for now - there would be plenty of time to kill Yuugi, but right now his mind was only focused on one thing: Ryou. He lifted the boy up to stroke his hair out of his eyes and kissed him softly. "Wait for me, Ryou. We're not finished yet."

To anyone looking, it looked like an impossible scene unfolding before them. The thief king was being so unbelievably tender, almost respectful, towards someone that he had shown no affection for at all in the past. Yet, the boy's head simply lolled back, unable to hear the spirit's devotion It lasted only a few seconds before he gently laid the boy back down and picked up the knife that had fallen.

The thief stood up and flicked his tongue out to taste the blood that was still on it, not finding it nearly as sweet as he thought he would. With a dark glare first at Yuugi, then the Pharaoh, Bakura stalked forwards, past them both to where the bodies of the remaining priests were. Laughing, the thief knelt behind Akunadin and yanked his face upwards by the hair so that he could rip the Millennium Eye out of the priest's skull. Blood gushed out, but Bakura could not find it in him to care. He simply took the now-clean knife and dragged it along Akunadin's throat, killing him before he could even wake up. What he had done may not have made sense to anyone else, but Bakura knew exactly what he was doing.

After getting the Millennium Eye, he held it in front of him, showing both Zorc and the Pharaoh (and to a lesser extent Marik, who had mostly lost interest by now) what he was going to do next. "I have all the Millennium Items now," He hissed. He didn't even care about the Puzzle, because he knew he could easily either get Marik to give it back to him or kill the tomb keeper for it.

"Zorc. Akunadin is dead. Marik has no loyalty left for you. I'm the only one left that can and will summon you back into this world as your own being. Do you know what that means?" A crazed grin came over Bakura's features and he began to laugh almost hysterically. What he was doing was no doubt completely insane, but then again, he never had been one to go about things the conventional way. He had never been sane to begin with. The hand that was holding the knife came up to his own neck and he pressed it close enough that he had started the draw a small amount of his own blood. "It means that if I die, you don't get to come back. If I die, then so do you."

Bakura knew what a stupid move he was making, because it was likely that the dark god would let his pawn die anyway. But this way, they both had something to lose and both had everything to gain. "Bring Ryou back," The thief said calmly, but his eyes were still narrowed and he looked just as crazy and unstable as before. It was a wonder how he managed to keep his voice even. "I know you can; you've brought me back from the dead enough times. And you can't use Seth to forge a contract to bring you back; it won't work unless there are two parties involved. If it's just you..." He trailed off. Zorc had to understand what Bakura was getting at now.

He didn't want to kill himself, and doubted that he would have to with this kind of bargain hanging over the evil god's head. But regardless of what happened next, the thief was going to end up killing both the Pharaoh and his vessel, but if Zorc made the choice not to bring Ryou back, it would be quick and clean, just enough to get the job done. That was all he had truly wanted in the first place: the Pharaoh's death. If he got that, then he would have avenged his village. He would be able to let the Pharaoh suffer a little bit, at least, by killing Yuugi first - a personal punishment for taking the thief's Hikari - but in the end, they would both die. "I've made up my mind on what I'm willing to do, Zorc. You should know by now that I'm not fooling around with this offer."

The dark lord could only look at the thief smugly, staring at him. He looked at the pharaoh; the king almost ready to collapse out of shock with what he just did and what was happening to him. The pharaoh's vessel was not faring any better, blood trickling down from his neck. The tomb keeper was looking unamused, seemingly waiting for the right moment to strike with his dragon. Zorc could only shrug before waving his hand, causing Atem, Yuugi, and Marik to collapse in place. They were unneeded pieces for now and he needed some time to talk to his defiant pawn. In a way, Bakura was feeling slightly annoyed when the figures of Marik, Yuugi and the Pharaoh collapsed in place. If Zorc had been able to do that all along, why hadn't he done so in the first place? They could have avoided all this grief and all these stupid deals right from the get-go. But what was done was done now, and there was nothing that could change it.

He walked towards Marik, grabbing the Millennium Puzzle from his neck before giving it to the thief king. "Since you already killed Akunadin, I need another life as a sacrifice for my return," he muttered, disliking the fact that he was being pushed against the wall like this. His eyes trailed down to the white-haired boy, a plan formulating in his mind. The thief king said that he should bring the boy back but Akefia did not say anything about bringing him back to the way he was, right?

He sighed lightly, kneeling beside the boy before yanking him up by the hair. The boy made no reaction despite the force that the dark lord did. "I fail to understand as to why you would want a weak pawn like this. He could not even withstand a blow like this," he stated, looking over the deep wound that the pharaoh caused. The sword went through his stomach, causing great damage on the boy. Bakura rolled his eyes, laughing bitterly in spite of Zorc's words. "I don't understand it either." It was true enough; Bakura could hardly understand why these emotions had come up within him in the first place. As for not being able to withstand the Pharaoh's attack? "He's only human; not everyone could live through being stabbed in the stomach."

"I will bring him back but that does not mean that I will not take some payment for my services," he muttered, thinking of a way to make his pawn realize that he was in no position to make deals with him in the first place. He placed his hand on Ryou's stomach before letting his energy surge within the boy's body; the energy acting as a jolt of electricity to pull the boy back to his consciousness. Soon, the wound started to close over, making it look like he was not even damaged at all. When the High Priest was done with the healing, he stood up, grabbing the small boy and the pharaoh before going to the underground crypt where the slab was. "Be quick, Akefia. I am expecting you to finish the ritual soon. I feel somewhat sad to use the High Priest's body as a sacrifice but I am exhilarated to have my body back. Don't take too long," he stated with a slight chuckle before leaving the two white-haired boys and the bodies around them. The boy stirred moments later, finding himself in the arms of someone. The warmth was familiar and yet, he could not place a finger on it as to where he felt that before. He felt weary, eyes opening ever so slowly as he stared at the person holding him. His chocolate brown eyes looked so innocent and yet so weak at the same time, like a youngling staring up at its mother for the first time in its existence. He did not understand as to why he his head was hurting really bad but instead, he simply focused on the warm figure beside him. The person had white hair and deep purple eyes- eyes that were drawing him near. His vision eventually cleared, finding himself in the arms of a tan man with a scar beneath his right eye. He blinked twice before realizing that the person holding him was his darker counterpart.

He was grateful, however, that Ryou would be able to live now because of Zorc; on the other hand, though, he wasn't certain about this 'payment' that the dark god spoke of. It couldn't be anything good, and what with the way his favored pawn had just defied him, there was no way this would be a light price. He didn't realize just how heavy it would be until Ryou called him 'Spirit'.

The thief king's eyes looked as if they were saddened and confused at his state but at the same time, he could feel that the thief was somewhat relieved. And Ryou? Well, said boy was looking very confused, trying to figure out where he was in the first place and at the same time, why the spirit of the ring looked like he actually cared about his well-being in the first place.

"W-Where... are we? You have... your own body," he whispered, eyes furrowing as he tried to recall anything that would help him understand the situation he found himself in. "Last thing I can remember was that I was in Kaiba's office... A-And I heard a noise somewhere... I went to check it out but everything's so hazy now. When... H-How did you get back?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. In truth, the dark lord truly took something as a payment for his services.

All of Ryou's memories of the past days were wiped out of his memories, starting with the first night that they met. But of course, the evil god could not take away one thing- the feelings that they had for each other. The white-haired boy's love for the thief king was still there though it was still dormant due to sudden disappearance of all of his memories. The thief was holding the boy close- close enough for Ryou to fell his heart beat. The boy's cheeks were flushed, trying his best to pull away from Bakura. His whole body felt as if they were being drawn towards the thief even more, no matter what the boy did. "B-Bakura-sama... W-Why are you-" he stopped, blushing even deeper when he felt the thief's heart beat along with his. He could not understand why but he was still feeling something towards the thief that took away everything from him.

With the dark god gone once more, Bakura turned his attention onto the boy in his arms. Why had Ryou called him a Spirit? He hadn't used that name since... "No..." he breathed. It couldn't have been... but it seemed as if Ryou had forgotten everything that had happened after he had been re-introduced to his Yami. The thief closed his eyes, trying to get a good grasp of what was going on. _This must be the price Lord Zorc spoke of..._ he thought. It made sense now, but this wasn't going to deter Bakura at all. He had made a promise to Ryou, too many promises, and there was no way he was going to break them all now. He had gone through too much already to just give up.

Not knowing what to do, the thief decided to just go with whatever came to him. He moved so that Ryou could lean against a wall, then took his hand. "You really don't remember anything, do you?" He whispered. For a second the thief contemplated just explaining everything, but on reflection realized that it was too much to explain all in one go; besides, if Bakura even tried to tell his Hikari what had happened in the past few days, he doubted the boy would believe him. It sounded far-fetched even to him, and he had been the one experiencing it. With all that Ryou did remember about being inhabited by a vengeful thief's spirit, it wasn't likely he would believe that he had fallen for and willingly given his body up to said thief.

He growled in frustration; Zorc just had to make everything harder for both of them, didn't he? The god should have known this would slow his pawn down greatly. He looked around, noticing that night had once again truly fallen. The Sun God had disappeared, and with it, the light that had pierced through the night. Not that Bakura minded all that much; he still much preferred the cover of darkness to the blinding faults of the light. He was trying to think now; when he had met Ryou again for the first time in the Kaiba Corp building, the boy hadn't even remembered having a spirit inhabiting his mind. What _had_made him remember...?

_Marik._ The name came to him immediately. The dark entity had been the one to make the memories rise in both of them, perhaps he could do it again... or Bakura could do it himself with the Millennium Rod. But that wasn't possible right now, what with the evil god waiting by the stone slab with the Rod in it in the first place. If Bakura went down there he would be forced into performing the ritual right away. And he couldn't exactly blackmail the god of darkness - not like he had before, anyway. _You have to remember, Ryou. Please... we've come so far, in every way we could._ He pulled away from the boy, just looking him in the eyes sadly. He didn't want to move too quickly - as much as Bakura may have wanted to take the boy in his arms and hold him, no matter how much he may have wanted to kiss his host, if he did too much it might scare him off. _What would I do then? I can't let you leave, and I can't keep going until you know the truth of what happened and why we're here._

Ryou looked around, shocked that he was in the arms of the thief. He found himself leaning against the wall. His heart beat was much faster now, like a rabbit that had just been picked up by its owner. He was shaking too, trying his best to stop getting all flustered with the situation. This must all be a misunderstanding, right? Suddenly, he heard the thief's voice inside his head, feeling his fingers interlace with his. The boy felt something against his hand- something sticky and warm. He looked down only to see the red liquid staining both of their hands- the blood of the keeper of the Millennium Eye. It was then that Ryou realized how gruesome Bakura looked and yet, he still could not understand as to why he was drawn to the thief this way. Shouldn't he be scared? Shouldn't he be feeling the least bit shaken by the situation? Oddly enough, the thief's presence itself was comforting and somehow, the boy was enjoying having the thief's hand in his like this. _'I must be deranged,'_ he thought, thinking of different possibilities that could have resulted to this situation.

Bakura could feel the unease and confusion radiating off of his host, a lot of which came from the thoughts whirling about his mind. Bakura could hear a few things here and there but mostly everything was just a speedy blur. Ryou was trying to remember, and he could, at least somewhat... it gave the thief a bit of hope, but not enough that he became overjoyed. No, he just felt anxious now. If there was a chance that the boy could remember...

The boy's eyes were wide due to shock for he was certain that he heard the thief say his name. "R-Ryou? Y-You said my name. You never say my name. You usually call me Yadonushi or Host but... Y-You... called me by my name," he whispered, truly shocked by this turn of events. His eyes then trailed off to the thief's hands before noticing a familiar emerald ring on the thief's fingers. Now, Ryou knew something about Ancient Egypt and he also knew that men used a lot of accessories during this time but there was something about the ring that was different. For one, it was the only ring on the thief's fingers- despite the different necklaces and other adornments on the thief's body. "That ring..." he whispered placing his nimble fingers on the green stone only to see someone taking it from the stall. That someone was also the one who gave it to the thief king inside some sort of inn and from the looks of it, the thief was quite amused with whoever gave him the ring in the first place. Ryou pulled away when the 'story' stopped playing in his mind, looking up at the thief king with disbelief.

"That ring was stolen... And it was stolen by someone special to you," he whispered. "Yes," he whispered. "You gave me this ring." He had almost completely forgotten about it, what with being caught up in everything else that had been going on. He felt exceedingly grateful to have it with him now, because not only was it a gift from his Yadonushi, but it was also helping said person remember something about what had gone on recently. Anything would help at this point, because as much as Bakura may have wanted to take the time to restore Ryou's memories, they didn't have the luxury of time with them right now. Zorc was undoubtedly going to be displeased about this. But Bakura couldn't find it in him to care; right now, this was his priority. _When did you become the most important thing in my life?_ He wondered to himself. The thought leaking over the mind link was completely unintentional. _I feel like all my goals have changed now, because of you..._And yet, he wouldn't have it any other way. As much as it sounded like he was complaining, it was plain to see in the thief-king's eyes that he was actually glad for such a change. It was as if he needed that little bit of light Ryou had given him all this time. Maybe, things could have turned out differently.

He was about to comment on other stuff when he saw that Bakura was still bleeding from the threat that he was doing to the dark lord. The wound was small- nothing fatal obviously but the sight of the thief's blood still unnerved the boy, causing him to press on the small wound in order to stop it from bleeding. Once again, a memory flashed in front of his eyes- something that happened not too long ago. It was the memory of the thief in the brink of death but someone was crying by his side and begging him not to leave. _'Idiot... You had me worried,'_ his own voice repeated inside his head, making him even more confused than what he was already feeling in the first place. Ryou looked up at the thief king, eyes trying to ask Bakura about these memories that he could not recall at all. "Yes, I gave you that ring... You were... wounded... I was... concerned," he stated, mostly to try and tell himself that he was not losing his sanity just yet. The boy looked at the thief, feeling the sudden urge to hug him and yet, he did not know how Bakura would react to it.

The thief had three of the items in his possession- the Ring, the Puzzle, and the Eye but Ryou's hands trailed off to the Millennium Ring, tracing along the eye of Horus before touching the tip of the pointers. "The Millennium Ring attacked me a few days after you left... Every time the wound would heal over, it would suddenly create a new set of wounds. The moment it stopped doing that, I realized that you were completely gone but I..." his voice trailed off before gulping. He took the thief's hands before letting him trace over the wounds that were present on his chest. "I was stupid, I know, but I made them myself. I couldn't remember you but I knew that you owned me- that you did this as a sign that you're my master. Now that you're back, I guess I should just welcome you back with open arms, right?" he said before chuckling lightly, "Stop acting like you're concerned over me, Spirit. I know that you're just trying to appeal to my emotions."

They needed each other - if anything, Ryou's last words had said that clearly enough to Bakura. Even when the spirit had been gone, the boy had still thought of him as his master. The thief almost laughed._ Idiot. Hadn't I told you that as the keeper of the Millennium Ring, you were /my/ master?_He could have sworn those were the words he had used, but now realized that it truly went both ways. But what he said next hurt. Bakura wasn't trying to play off his emotions for once; he was being completely genuine in how he was acting. It seemed sort of ironic, but not in a way that the thief liked at all.

"I just can't stop myself," he whispered before drawing the thief king closer. It was quite confusing really but due to some strange reasons, he was not feeling scared of the thief at all. In fact, he was happy to have him back and yet, the irony of the situation was that, these were the exact same emotions that he was feeling when he remembered the thief in his humble abode. "Forgive me."

And suddenly he was being kissed, hearing the same words he had heard the first time he and his host had ever come together like that. Unlike their first kiss; however, the boy instinctively wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck only to draw him closer. Their bodies touched together as their souls gave in to their biggest temptation of all- each other. The boy groaned in the kiss, slipping his tongue inside as he relished the thief's taste. The feelings were so familiar- too familiar that it truly shocked the boy that this was happening to them. It was truly like their first time, only instead of the uncertainty; both Ryou and his darkness knew how to react. That surprised the thief; if Ryou really had forgotten, he wouldn't have been pulled so strongly to act the way he did. When they parted, Bakura grabbed Ryou by the shoulder's tightly, eyes wide and surprised. "I-I don't... understand... W-Why did you... kiss me back?"

"You really don't remember," Bakura whispered disbelievingly. "And yet you do... You don't remember anything, but your body does." He ignored Ryou's question for now, because the answer was obvious. He didn't need to answer directly because the boy could fill in the blanks himself.

With a swift motion, the boy was suddenly pulled on top of the thief king to straddle his waist. Bakura looked up at Ryou with stern eyes, as if showing him something, and waiting for him to make the next move. Even if Ryou didn't understand what he might have been doing, if Bakura was right in his thoughts, then his Hikari would act instinctively in the way he remembered. _Please, Ryou. Please understand what I'm trying to do._

The boy was still shocked, his hand still gripping on the thief's shoulders as Ryou looked at him. His mind was yelling at him to move away from the dangerous thief and yet, his body just won't stay away. "You're really here," he whispered, still shocked that the thief king was actually here in his arms. Bakura was cradling him like a lover would and his voice sounded so passionate- so alluring as he talked to him through the mind link and through speech as well. Suddenly, he found himself on the thief's lap, straddling his waist. He felt uncomfortable but at the same time, the position was so familiar- too familiar for his own comfort. He tried to get off of the thief only to find himself pulled in the strong arms again. This time, the boy could not bite back the groan that escaped his lips when their bodies brushed. Their chests were pressed against each other, causing the boy to look up at the thief once more. "Ba...kura..." he whispered, a wave of need slowly whisking him away. His left arm was laced around the other's neck while his right hand pressed against Bakura's chest.

"S-Say my name again," he whispered, pressing even more against Bakura's body. Ryou did not know what to say and frankly, he felt odd. He pressed against the thief even more, groaning upon contact. The Millennium Ring was the only thing that separated the two white-haired keepers of the Ring and yet, Ryou felt as if he was still too far away from him. His eyes narrowed before claiming the thief's lips in another passionate kiss. His nerves once awakened once more, letting his tongue graze against the thief's lower lip as it begged for its entrance. Bakura couldn't help himself; when Ryou said his name like that instead of calling him 'Spirit', he let out a soft noise of approval and pleasure. He sighed and grinned. "Ryou," the thief whispered, just as his Hikari had asked him to say. "Ryou..." he repeated it again before kissing the boy, and again every time he would pull away. Yes, he was getting caught up in the moment, but it was hard not to. In a way, everything that was happening was completely new, as if it gave Bakura a chance to change how he dealt with his Hikari. But he didn't intend to go back to how things were before they had been separated.

The little session continued on, his wandering hands massaging the thief's back. Ryou whimpered once in a while Bakura would press against him the wrong way. It would only take him a few more of these to finally give in to the lust that he was feeling for the thief; however, his brain managed to get a hold of the situation once more as he pulled away. "I-I don't know what to say," he whispered, blushing deeply. Ryou was still hesitant about all of this, but at the same time, he could not pull away from the thief's body.

Ryou groaned before straddling his waist even tighter and wrapping his other arm around his neck. _'Hate me all you want but I want you too much to stop, Kura-sama... I don't understand why but I just can't pull away,'_ he thought, unknowingly saying things through the mind link. He felt the thief's love resonating through the link and simply hearing the importance that he was putting on Ryou, it simply made the boy's heart burst with joy. Their lips found each other again, their limbs gripping onto each other as if there was no tomorrow. It was then when the Millennium Ring trembled in place only to glow reaction to their gestures. Their passionate moves were completing each other's soul to the point that Ryou felt like he becoming one with the thief king. The Ring stopped glowing moments after Ryou pulled away, still blushing deeply. Ryou's eyes were beaming with excitement, both from the kiss and the thoughts that he kept hearing from Bakura. _I'm not going to hate you,_ he insisted. As if to emphasize this, Bakura pulled his host even closer to him._ I've never hated you... _Even thinking that somehow seemed to surprise Bakura. He had never really thought about it before, but it was true. He never hated Ryou himself - yes, he had disliked a lot of the actions the boy took in order to screw up his plans, but that defiant will of his that only seemed to spark up sometimes was something he had actually liked in his host. He laughed, sounding a lot like his old self, only with that small tint of happiness that had normally been absent in the spirit's laughter.

"Am I really the most important thing to you, Bakura-sama?" he asked._ I guess you are,_ he thought in amusement. _I don't know how it happened, but it did._

It was then when Ryou pulled him in another kiss. Maybe, things were looking up for them already for the Millennium Ring finally gave them the fulfillment of their wishes- to be with each other. Each Millennium Item entitled the holder to one wish but at the same time, these holders would simply get something ironic. Ryou knew that he wanted to be with Bakura until the end of eternity, though the Ring still did not know what the thief king wanted.

The white haired boy was back in the thief's arms and yet, he was still hesitant to move from the position. Part of him knew what would happen once they reached the underground crypt; however, he also knew that he could not remain stagnant in their position. "L-Let's just go home, Bakura-sama. Can't we just l-live together in peace? F-Forget about the pharaoh... for me?"

Without even thinking, Bakura pulled Ryou back to him and crushed their lips together in a fierce kiss. It was as if the Millennium Ring's reaction to what they were doing only fueled the thief king to keep going, move further, make this last, anything so long as he continued to be this close to Ryou. He hoped that all Ryou's questions would be answered through actions rather than taking time to speak his answers. Because, in all honesty, some of these things Bakura wasn't even sure about himself. It was only when Ryou had pulled away and asked to go home that the thief king stopped what he was doing. He gazed down at their linked hands sadly, then lifted one of Ryou's to softly kiss it - a tender action that was just so unlike him.

"Ryou..." he started. What he was about to say was hard enough that it wouldn't be easy to meet the boy's eyes. "I... I'm sorry. But I can't forget. I can't just walk away now... after three thousand years of hatred and waiting, and after he separated us... but it's not just for my village anymore, and it's not just for me. I... I want..." He sighed. This small speech was really taking a toll on Bakura emotionally. He hated denying his host anything, and Ryou's voice was so small, almost scared... It was killing him.

"I... I can't. If you had asked me earlier... then, maybe... I might have walked away. But what he did to you is unforgivable." Bakura pulled away from the boy with much regret, standing up and leading Ryou up with him. "I'm sorry. But we don't have enough time. I want to keep my promise to you... to be with you, forever. Just you and me." He released the boy's hand and began to walk away, towards the underground temple. _Come with me if you want, Ryou. I want you to be there with me at the end, no matter what that end may be._


	35. Bitter Farewell

**Love me so Tender  
**Ancient Egypt Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hey guys!

I hope you had an awesome weekend! Unfortunately, this chapter may break your heart. This is one of the shortest chapters, if not the shortest so far, in this story but you guys would understand soon enough. This is the last chapter and while some may think it's an abrupt ending, it's actually fitting for the situation, I hope. It was the best time to reach a climax and maybe Bakura will finally get to summon the dark lord and take over Egypt. Who knows? I guess you would just have to read the chapter to find out how this all ends.

I would like to thank all the readers and reviewers out there. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with Chiba-kun and I. We've been reading each and every one of your reviews and we just swell up with joy whenever we read your reviews. If you have the time, please do not hesitate to review this story to let us know how you are enjoying it so far!

YGO is not ours, blah blah blah. We own the plot though... Blah blah blah.

And with that, I give you the last chapter of the Ancient Egypt Arc! I wonder what comes next? Hm.

**We hope you have fun reading it!**

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**Chapter 35:** Bitter Farewell.

Meanwhile, the dark lord was impatiently waiting for the return of his pawn. Zorc knew that he did quite the damage on the boy but he could not say that he regretted doing such thing. He sighed lightly before shaking his head, "He is taking too far. Might as well have a little fun," he whispered before waving his hand over the keepers of the Puzzle. Atem was the first to wake up, groaning from the sudden jolt of pain throughout his body. He sat up, feeling as if a ton of stones were thrown at him all at the same time but he did not concern himself with such 'trivial' matters. Instead, he focused his eyes on his partner, crawling towards his direction before cradling him in his arms. "Forgive me, love," he whispered, pressing their lips against each other. He grabbed one end of his clothing before using it as a makeshift bandage for the boy. " I-I'm sorry for doing that to Bakura-kun. I-I didn't know," he started apologizing the moment Yuugi woke up.

When Yuugi came to, the wave of grief began to wash over him immediately. Just the sight of his other self, so upset and guilty-looking and hurt, made the boy's heart break. Not just for the Pharaoh, but for his friend, too. He wrapped his arms around the Pharaoh's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. He understood why his other self did what he did, but he couldn't say he liked it. No, he hated it - hated what they all had become. "I know... I kn-know... y-you did it f-f-for m-me... but... G-gods, Yami, I hate this!"

Yuugi's body continued to convulse in loud sobs. "I h-hate what you did... and I h-hate why you did it... b-but I can't be mad at you. You s-saved me... so many t-times... and I l-love you, but... I... I want to go home. I don't w-w-want t-to be here anymore! I wish everything could just go back to normal!" If only they hadn't come here... if only they hadn't allowed Bakura to be separated from their friend... then Ryou would still be around, and none of this would have happened. They could have continued to all live together happily, alive, and as friends... but now it seemed as if they were all losing everything.

The pharaoh placed a hand on the boy's cheek as he caressed it a little bit. "Do not leave me, Yuugi. Please," he whispered before pressing their foreheads against each other. The tan pharaoh pulled the boy closer just so Yuugi could see the tear that escaped from his sorrowful eyes. The pharaoh was begging for the boy to stay but at the same time, Atem knew that he had to let Yuugi go if that was what he truly wanted. The pharaoh pulled him in his arms, hugging him tight before sighing lightly. His lips brushed against Yuugi's ear before closing his eyes. The King of Games was flustered, obviously disturbed and hurt with what the boy just said. His love, his life was pulling away from him and yet he could not do anything about it. It was just like the death of his father. Once again, the pharaoh simply felt hopeless as he wondered if he could really do nothing to request the boy to stay. "Before you leave, I want to let you know my name," he whispered before pulling away.

Yuugi's sobs had begun to subside a little bit after a time, but he still couldn't stop the tears from flowing freely out his eyes. Said eyes widened impossibly when the Pharaoh begged him not to leave. "I'm not going to leave you!" He exclaimed, though his voice was no louder than a whisper - his throat was raw from their previous acts and now from his uncontrollable sobbing. "I... I c-could never leave you. I told you, I love you, and I can't even s-stay mad at you." He put a hand to his other self's face, leaning in to softly kiss his lips. The boy did not have enough energy to go past that right now.

Atem looked so sad- so torn but he understood why the boy pulled away like this. He understood as to why Yuugi would try to go back to the place that made him feel utterly safe. He sighed before claiming the sobbing boy's lips in his. "Atem. My father called me Atem," he whispered, remembering the said name from the memories that he had of his father. He bit his lower lip before smiling sadly, "If there really is no way for you to remain by my side, I humbly ask you to call me by my name. I no longer want to be the pharaoh if that would mean losing you, Yuugi. I simply am Atem, a scorn lover begging to remain by your side." The dark lord was amused with all of this but even if the pharaoh remembers his name, he was still incapable of summoning the gods. After all, the Millennium Puzzle was still in the thief king's possession and it looked like Bakura was in no mood to hurry the summoning to the best of his abilities.

He paused and waited. Upon hearing the true name of his other self, the boy let out a breath of air he hadn't been aware of holding in. "Atem..." he repeated with wonder. "Atem... your name is Atem. Oh...!" He succumbed to another bout of tears, but this time he was smiling - the poor boy was so exhausted and so overwhelmed with joy that he didn't even know to control his tears. But this time, they were from joy, not sadness. He finally knew his other self's name. "Atem... I... I love you. But I s-still... still want to go home. With you. I want to be back in Domino with you by my side... away from all this danger and sadness. Please... that's truly the only thing I want."

Atem, on the other hand was still cradling the boy. The pharaoh could only nod in response to what his partner was asking from him. He smiled sadly, brushing the stray bangs from his eyes to get a good look of his eyes. "I would if I could, Yuugi," he whispered, his grip on the boy tightening. It was not too tight though, just enough to let the boy know that he was just beside him. It was then when the dark lord suddenly exclaimed in frustration the moment he realized that the thief king and his host were no longer in Ancient Egypt. The dark lord made his way towards the surface in order to make sure that the thief was truly gone. Lo and behold, all that were left were the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Puzzle, and the Millennium Eye sitting on the sand. The body of the High Priest hunched forward before laughing maniacally, "Maybe this would be more interesting. I would not want to take over the past, anyway. It'd be better if I'm summoned at the present age and time!" The pharaoh looked around before grabbing one of the Millennium Items from the stone slab, particularly the Millennium Rod. He sighed before pushing against Yuugi's chest. He looked at the boy before smiling.

"We're going home."

* * *

Ryou looked at him sadly before he was pushed away from Bakura. Did the thief not know what would happen the moment he steps in the underground crypt? His arms wrapped around the thief's waist, pulling him before he could even get near the stairs. "Please Bakura... Don't go. We will die if you do this- You'll die if you do this," he whispered. The white-haired boy then moved in front of the thief; arms spread in an attempt to stop him. "I've asked you before - time and time again - to stay with me instead of continuing your pursuit after the pharaoh. Don't you dare tell me that I have not requested that from you before!" he exclaimed, looking at the ground now. He could not bear to look at the thief right now, no, not when Ryou was feeling so weak,

"P-Please, Bakura... I want to stay with you but not like this- not when someone is constantly threatening to take you away from me. Not when we are always at the brink of death. I-I'd give up anything to be with you... B-But not like this."

The white-haired boy looked as if he was going to break. However, his eyes were unwavering as he mustered enough courage to look at Bakura in the eyes. "W-We're going home!" he exclaimed with much fervor. "I-I'm going home," he whispered this time when he noticed that the thief still did not move from his place. Bakura looked as if he was completely torn between Ryou and his goal. "What he did to me was not unforgivable, Bakura. You would have done the same thing if he did something like that to me. No... You did something similar to that when he strangled me in Yuugi's room. If you did not have your self-restraint back then, you would have reacted in a manner even worse that what he did," he looked at him sadly before walking to his direction. Once he was near enough, he caressed the thief's cheek before continuing his talk, "It was his love for Yuugi that pushed him to do that. I don't blame him at all. I don't. I understand what he feels after all. I wanted to kill Zorc for even laying a finger on you like that."

He offered a soft yet sad smile to the thief king before pulling him closer. "I-I have forgiven you for what you did to me... I fell in love with you even though you hurt me that much," the boy reasoned. He shook his head after though, blushing inappropriately, "N-Not that I'm asking you to fall in love with him or something. B-But you do understand my point, right?" Ryou knew that he was at a disadvantage but it seems that the boy was not willing to give up just yet. His hand made its way behind the back of his head, massaging it before grasping his hair.

Bakura had to look away from his Yadonushi at this point. Everything he said was starting to affect him, even making him question what he was doing. The boy had a point; if they always were on the edge of death itself... what would be the point? But then again, Bakura had never been afraid of death. He had overcome it time and time again, and if he had the opportunity, he would protect Ryou from it no matter how close it came to him. It had always been that way, after all, but now Bakura didn't want to protect him out of necessity. It was out of his own desires.

"I can't forgive him for it," he hissed. "You might be able to, but I can't. If I was in his position, and he in mine... he wouldn't forgive me, either. Don't you understand, Ryou? I don't care how much faith you have in me! I'm not like you; I have always been in darkness! I can't let go of things like that!" The thief's drive, his inability to let go of the past and his determination to keep fighting for it were the only reasons he had lasted this long. Maybe he could have forgotten about his village and lived a somewhat easier life, but he didn't and couldn't. Bakura couldn't even fathom how Ryou could understand, even if he had admitted how he had wanted to kill Zorc for touching his lover like he had. He didn't even know why Ryou was so ready to forgive him for everything he had put the boy through already!

Immediately, the boy yanked him down, eyes narrowing dangerously at the thief. This was the same stare he gave Marik the moment he threatened him back in Domino City and Ryou only looked at Bakura this way when they were in bed. "I'm going home- and you're going with me," he whispered, voice coated in venom as he glared at the thief king. The boy wondered though if this was truly the right way to control the situation.

At that moment, the Ring suddenly glowed in response to his wish. Maybe the Ring was being too lenient, granting him every wish imaginable but at the same time, the Ring was simply repaying Ryou's kindness towards it over the years. The white-haired boy gasped before finding himself surrounded with dark mist of the sort. He panicked but upon realization that the thief king was still in his arms, he felt relieved.

When Ryou opened his eyes again, he found himself in Domino City; particularly in their house - night fall of the same day that they left. The Millennium Items were sprawled all over the floor of his living room, Marik guarding it. "Bakura! Ryou!" Marik exclaimed, obviously shocked that they were still in one piece. However, the Egyptian teen was confused that Ryou was in a red royal garb while Bakura was in a loin cloth. The Egyptian blushed after seeing them in that state, possibly because an idea jumped in his mind regarding what they were possibly doing. It took a while for Ryou to focus his eyes again, only to see the tan skin of the thief king beneath him.

They were back.

* * *

You didn't think that we're going to end the story there, right? Stay tuned for the _Back to Domino City Arc_ after this chapter! This arc is the most exciting arc for me because it marks the return of Bakura's long fluffy white hair. :D

We hope that you continue to read and review this story, our beloved readers and reviewers!


	36. Together

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

Hello everyone~! It has been a while, hasn't it? This chapter was really giving me a hard time since I really wanted to make the first chapter of the new arc to be as fluid as possible. You see, a lot of things are happening at the same time in this chapter and I did not want it to be that confusing.

Now, as per the question of **ilovemanicures** that might be the other readers' question as well, Bakura got back to Domino still looking like the thief king. So yeah, short hair and tan skin. But as the chapters go by, he would slowly look like what he did in Domino City- a sexy reflection of Ryou. ;3

While Chiba-kun's favorite moment was when Ryou lost his memories, my favorite moment is present in this arc. This arc is even more messed up that the Ancient Egypt one.

On the upside, Zorc would not be appearing anytime soon. After all, he was housed in Seth's body during the Ancient Egypt arc. I will not say when he's going to pop out but I can assure you that when he comes back, bad bad things would happen. 3 My only hint is the word "Yadonushi." 'Nuff said.

Making us say that we don't own YGO just pains us. Please don't make us say it. We have to? Curses. /Mojojojo.

**Edit, November 22**: Hey guys! I edited the sequence a little bit to make it a little more understandable. Apologies for the former editing. 3:

**Chapter Warnings****:** Implied!Sexy Time in the bathroom

* * *

**Chapter 36: **Together.

Before he could even say anything else, Bakura felt something around him shift. The next thing he knew, Ryou was holding him and the environment around them had changed. He couldn't even begin to wonder where he was, but the voice that greeted him told the thief everything he needed to know. He could see Ryou above him, but that wasn't concerning at the moment. Bakura shifted quickly and stood up, only to lose his balance right away. For some reason, he felt much heavier than he should have. It was then that he finally took a good look at himself, starting with his hands. His skin was dark - just like it had been earlier - but something about this was all wrong. "Why do I still look like this?" He wondered aloud, sounding almost angry. "This isn't... why hasn't my body changed back?"

He stood up again. This feeling was absolutely _bizarre_! Bakura felt like he was way out of place, not just because of his clothing. How was it possible that a new body - no, his _old_ body, one that hadn't been used in thousands of years - had suddenly appeared here? Was it just an illusion?_ I don't like this._ The only memories he had of Domino City, he had always looked like Ryou. Looking like his past self now... it just felt so out of place. He glared at Marik, unfairly deciding to take his anger out on the Egyptian. "What happened at the Museum?" He demanded. Bakura had assumed that it was simply their minds or souls that were thrown into the world of memory, but maybe that wasn't that case. _This is getting far too complicated_, he decided.

Only a few seconds later, Bakura was back at Ryou's side, checking if he was okay. Yes, the thief was irritated that he had been forced back here before he could actually complete his plans, but somehow that was pushed out of his mind. He held Ryou close, waiting for a response from the boy before doing anything else. It was while they were in this position that Bakura noticed suddenly that Yuugi and the Pharaoh were back, too - with separate bodies, both dressed as they were in Egypt, and both ending up being in Ryou's home. This only ended up annoying Bakura further, but he stayed silent. All he did was glare at the spot where the other two were laying down.

He felt the thief's arms wrap around him so possessively that Ryou could not help but to simply lean on his side. He could feel the thief's obvious irritation for him and needless to say, he felt utterly sad that he was the one who caused the thief's distress. He looked at the thief, seemingly ready to explain himself but then again, Bakura looked as if he was in no mood to talk. He gasped when he saw Yuugi and the pharaoh appear in his living room, causing him to bury his face against the thief's chest. Yes, he had forgiven Yami for what he did in Egypt but at the same time, he just could not forget what happened that easily. Those fingers that were interlaced with the smaller boy's fingers, he could not help but feel at least jealous of their bond. True, the thief would sometimes show his tenderness when it came to Ryou but the thief had not made anything worth bragging about.

Marik frowned when he realized the white-haired boy's reactions. "You can... stay here for the night, Yuugi. I'll just... grab some sheets for you. I don't think that you'd be able to get home at this late hour," the boy said before yawning. Ryou did not look too happy to be back in Domino City when the Egyptian practically waited for hours on end for the two to return. "I'll fetch them the sheets. You two should rest," he whispered before grabbing a sack full of the Millennium Items before Atem could even look for the Millennium Puzzle.

When Ryou and Bakura reached their room, silence still fell between them. Although Ryou was honestly glad of being back in the safety of his home, he felt like a little kid who just blew something out of proportions. "I just wanted to..." he whispered before shaking his head. There was no use explaining to Bakura what he just did- he would never understand after all. "If you want to go back, then by all means... I'm not going to stop you in getting what you truly want. The pharaoh's downstairs. Kill him if you want. Kill Yuugi and Marik too if you're still not satisfied. Kill the whole neighborhood, light the house on fire, and simply go on a rampage in the city... I-I just feel too tired, Bakura."

Bakura remained silent for a long time, listening to Ryou before making any decision whatsoever. He was still mulling things over in his head, of course slightly clouded by anger, but he didn't say anything about it. After all, Ryou had only acted on impulse of what he had wanted, right? It wasn't out of spite. The boy was just doing what he thought was best for both of them, even though it wasn't necessarily the best thing to do. And he had even let Yuugi and the Pharaoh stay the night! They didn't deserve that sort of kindness, at least not from the thief's point of view, but he couldn't exactly kick them out now. Hell, he couldn't really do anything right now - even though he may have wanted to do everything Ryou had mentioned, Bakura was too drained to do so.

He glanced at the thief king before taking off the thief's robe and the loin cloth. He walked towards the closet, seeing the little division that he had created for the two of them. Bakura's clothes were all on the left while Ryou's clothes were all on the right. From the looks of it, Bakura needed new clothes to wear- seeing that he was obviously bigger in comparison to his previous body. Grabbing two shirts and two boxers as well, he gave one set to Bakura before sitting on the bed. "If you want to go around in a loin cloth, it's also fine with me too."

He took the clothing offered to him, frowning at it. In his other body, these clothes would have been a good fit, if not slightly big, but now... well, this particular shirt was large and baggy, so it actually fit fine. There wasn't really much else he could wear, though. That was a problem. Regardless of that, he dressed himself, finding it a little strange to be wearing this kind of thing with this body. It would take some adjustment, but it was nothing that the thief couldn't handle. What he couldn't handle now, though, was this tense air that they had suddenly created. He grits his teeth and sighed in aggravation. Everything had been going so well up until the point that Ryou had lost his memories! Bakura couldn't bring himself to think on why the boy had lost said memories; it was still painful for him. Why did it seem that every time things would work out for them, and they would get to a good place in their relationship, everything just fell apart? Even if it wasn't themselves screwing up, something always seemed to happen.

The boy was utterly confused with the way he was acting. He was the one who sent the thief back in his world, right? Then why was he still unhappy? Why was he still looking for something more? His gaze fell on the thief's emerald ring before looking away. "If you want to leave me... You may do so. I already told myself that I should not let you choose between me and you're goal. I knew that it would hurt knowing the answer, Kura... But I never knew that it would hurt this much," he whispered before crawling under the sheets.

He left one side of the bed vacant, almost as if screaming at the thief to stop being stubborn. His eyes were closed as the white-haired boy clutched on the sheets in order to stop himself from crying altogether. _'And as always... I know that he'd just leave... Probably steal something here and there or take a walk to clear his head... I just hate having to wait for him all the time,'_ he thought, not even noticing what the thief was doing. All he knew was that he was physically and emotionally drained. The marks on Ryou's neck were invisible now, as were the other marks on his body were also gone. Maybe it was because the dark lord's magic cleared all of the wounds or maybe it was because it had been 'too long' since the last time that they did it because they wanted to and not because their unsuppressed urges were not letting him do anything.

Bakura sighed and watched Ryou crawl into bed. The empty space beside his host did not go amiss, but despite how exhausted the thief was, he could not bring himself to join the boy. Not yet, anyway. He waited a while, simply watching Ryou as he settled in to rest. The thief's eyes never left his body. When he was sure that the boy was about to drift off, Bakura walked towards him and leaned over, kissing his temple. _I told you that I'm not going to leave you. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. I..._ But he stopped his thoughts there, closing his eyes sadly. Suddenly, all his remaining energy was gone. He had intended to walk away, maybe take a walk or talk to Marik to set things straight, but now he just didn't have it in him anymore. So instead Bakura crawled into the bed so that he too could get some rest. He wanted so badly to stay irritated at Ryou, to stay away from him, but it seemed that his resolve and capacity for emotion were spent. The thief ended up shifting so that he was against Ryou's back, wrapping his arms around the nearly-asleep boy and pulling them close. He was so warm it was hard to focus on anything else but getting closer to that warmth.

"Say my name again..." he whispered to himself, trying to recall the soft voice Bakura had used when he would soothe the boy. Bakura's hands ended up resting on Ryou's stomach, underneath the fabric of his shirt; he buried his face in the boy's hair, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. "Ryou..." he whispered. It had been the boy's request to hear his name spoken by his darkness again, but the thief had said it unintentionally this time. The words had just spilled from his lips without his consent.

If only Marik knew that what he was fighting for was simply a memory devised by the keepers of the Ring.

* * *

Meanwhile, it just dawned on Yuugi just what was happening. Yuugi's eyes widened; visibly panicking. "We're in Bakura-kun's house!" He exclaimed, shaking his other self to try and wake him. He hoped that Atem brought them to this specific location entirely by accident, but didn't say anything past that. It only took another second for Yuugi to realize they weren't alone: Ryou, Bakura, and Marik were all there too, watching him. The boy swallowed nervously, looking back at them while still shaking Atem. "Umm... h-hey... w-wake up, please," he mumbled, mostly out of nervousness of what would happen next, but also because he was genuinely worried about whether or not Atem would even wake up.

After a few moments, the pharaoh stirred, only to find himself on an unfamiliar couch. He groaned before realizing that the obviously worried King of Games was trying to wake Atem up. Maybe it was because of the physical injuries that he had obtained, but Atem simply felt as if his whole life was taken away from him in an instant. However, when he would gaze into Yuugi's eyes, all of his pains were nothing compared to the intense love that he was feeling for the boy. "We're home love... I hope that you are happy now. I just want to fulfill your wishes, Yuugi. After all, I'm your love slave," he whispered. He was about to lean in for another kiss when he felt a blanket thrown on his lap. He glared, looking up at Marik who was obviously pissed at the pharaoh for simply being in the same house that he was in. "Try not to make too much noise, Idiots. Ryou's probably sleeping by now," he whispered before sighing. He disliked having to put up with this nice act even if he had expressed his utmost hatred for the pharaoh.

Yuugi smiled at his lover, wrapping his arms around his neck and snuggling in against him. He was still worried about what was going to come next, but for now, he was just glad that the Pharaoh had woken up - and even better, now he had his own body! _This is going to be hard to explain to everyone,_he thought, of course meaning his friends. "Of course I'm happy!" He whispered. Of course, Yuugi's voice was till raw because his throat still hurt. "But... I can't help but wonder what's going to happen. I'm not sure if I want to be in the same house as Bakura-kun and the Ring Spirit after all that happened..." And even what didn't happen. He wasn't sure if Ryou still had the conviction to kill him - but wait. Why is Bakura-kun even alive? Did something happen? He asked. All of this was just too much to handle.

It did not take long before they let sleep take over them. The sleep was surprisingly good and peaceful, at least it was in Atem's point of view.

The pharaoh yawned, looking at the smaller boy that was walking beside him, gripping on his hand. Atem knew that his lover would be apprehensive with showing their affections in public but he was not going to let anything stop him from holding Yuugi's hand. He was thankful though for Yuugi's grandfather had gone on one of his trips and would not be back until next week. At least they had that much time to explain what had happened to them. After all, Sugoroku's grandson was exclusively dating an ancient pharaoh. He looked at Yuugi and when he did not meet with the boy's eyes, he frowned. Yuugi just looked different without the Millennium Puzzle and unfortunately for them, Marik was heavily guarding the items when they woke up. He was actually shocked when he realized that he was still in his old body but then again, he preferred his own body instead of Yuugi's. It was not as if he did not want to have the one that was exactly Yuugi's shape but instead, he wanted to let Yuugi know that he was strong enough to protect him. The clothes were tight but it was nothing that Yami could not handle. They could always buy a new set of clothes for him or something. "I never noticed that you walked this far, Aibou," he whispered, trying to start a conversation with his partner.

Quite the contrary to what his Yami thought, Yuugi was quite alright with showing off their affections in public. The hand-holding made most of his worries go away and it generally cheered him up. But he knew that soon he would have to leave his other self for a while for school. But he pushed that thought aside for the time being. "Of course you didn't realize it. I was always the one walking to school! Half the time you were still asleep." He was overall just way too happy and cheery to feel the awkwardness radiating off of Atem come into him, but he did feel as if something was wrong. The boy couldn't put his finger on it though, so he decided to wait and see if the attitude persisted. If it did, then, well... he would ask. Anything as long as his lover was happy.

In truth, he hated being this awkward with Yuugi and this was with the boy not knowing what happened between him and the dark lord. He did not even know what he was thinking when he did that act with 'Seth' but then again, it was all because of the dark magic, right? His smaller half looked tired and sad- mostly worried about his white-haired friend. Atem knew that Yuugi had not forgotten about what had happened in Ancient Egypt but thankfully, the little gamer was willing to rest even for just a short while. "I'll see you after school, alright? I don't think I have anything better to do so I'd just watch over the game shop," he said before pulling Yuugi in a chaste kiss.

When the time finally came for them to part, Yuugi frowned sadly. "Yeah... I'll see you then. I... I'll still be able to talk to you, right? Through our minds?" He looked hopelessly optimistic, but somehow still a bit worried. If anything, that was what Yuugi feared the most: losing that mental connection with his other self. It was what had brought them together in the first place, so it was hard to imagine living without it now.

"Oh!" He added, before walking away from his partner. He kissed Atem on the cheek lightly and smiled at him. "If you can, come over here when I'm on a lunch break! You know when that is, right? I'm sure everyone will want to know you're here like this... and if you're not ready for that, well, then at least we can see each other!" He laughed cheerfully and gave a short wave before walking off into the school. Nothing could put him down at the moment - he was way too unreasonably happy, even in spite of all the worries he had about his partner and his friend. He wondered if Ryou was even going to come to school today.

After a small wave, the pharaoh walked towards the direction of his house and then it hit him. Maybe he could apologize to Ryou properly- or at least to Bakura. If the two would not accept his apology, then maybe he could talk to the thief about why Bakura hated him in the first place. _'Sounds like a plan'_ he thought before heading off to the Briton's house.

* * *

The boy groaned when he woke up, half expecting that he was already alone on the bed. He turned only to find himself meeting face to face with Bakura. He gasped in shock when he realized that the thief was awake- staring back at him. "Mhmm... M-Morning, " he whispered, looking away from those eyes. He was so used to being the one to wake up the thief king and just seeing that the thief awake like that was simply... shocking. He looked at the thief king before caressing his cheek. "A-Are you mad at me?" he asked, pulling the thief closer. Somehow, the warm covers that wrapped around them were making the scene somewhat more romantic than what it was already. He frowned before placing an arm around the thief's waist before smiling burying his head on the crook of the thief's neck.

"I love you..." he whispered, feeling as if it had been too long since the last time he talked to the thief like this. It had been too long since they just stayed in each other's arms and relaxed like this... It had been far too long since the last time that the boy did not feel rushed. Ryou bit his lower lip, trying his best to flash even the smallest of smiles but still, he was feeling too sad- too overwhelmed with the thief's emotions. They did not even talk about this last night and even if Ryou wanted to tell himself that the thief did not mind what he did, it was close to impossible to ignore those negative feelings. "Don't hate me..." he pleaded this time, gripping on the thief king's shirt as tight as he could.

For a long time now, Bakura had been awake, watching Ryou sleep. He himself was restless, but nonetheless he stayed in bed so as not to accidentally wake Ryou up. They both needed their rest, but the thief king's mind was working too quickly already. There was no chance he would be able to get to sleep again, so he had just remained quiet and tried to soothe Ryou every time he showed signs of unease in his sleep. Unfortunately, that had been quite often. But he was awake now, and Bakura pulled him just that little bit closer as Ryou pulled him the same way. He pushed the boy's bangs out of the way and placed a small kiss on his forehead, not saying a word. He was smiling, though just barely, until Ryou started to plead with his Yami to not hate him. Bakura closed his eyes. He hated it when his host spoke like that, because he had said, time and time again, that he didn't hate Ryou and didn't think he could.

Ryou did not know why but he was feeling as if the thief was slowly slipping away from him even if he was merely centimeters away from him. He sighed and was about to plant a kiss on the thief's lips when the door suddenly burst open revealing a frantic Marik in a blue uniform.

"W-We're going to be late, Ryou! The pharaoh and Yuugi left early this morning to head off to school as well and if we don't leave for school soon, then we-" the blonde immediately widened his eyes when he noticed that the thief and his host were locked in a tight embrace. The Egyptian simply closed the door again, muttering something about how the two could not keep their hands off of each other.

Having Marik burst in on them like that was irritating, to say the very least._ Why do we even need to keep him around? He's served his purpose... and it's not like it did us much good._Maybe if they had waited longer, or had just kept things simple and killed the Egyptian off to begin with, things wouldn't be falling apart like this. They never would have gone back to ancient Egypt and could have continued things as they were - or, better yet, be past this point now and already have done what they had set out to do. But even that seemed far-off in the way that Bakura wasn't even sure what it was they had wanted in the first place anymore. Besides, having Marik around was cutting into their time alone - like now - to do whatever they felt like doing. He popped in at unpredictable points, always, as it seemed, at the most inconvenient of times.

He sat up a few minutes later, still feeling out of it. He ran a hand through his hair, deducing that he wanted to take a bath- either that or simply flop back down the bed and sleep. In truth, the second option looked highly promising. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes before closing them entirely. _'If he asks me to stay, I could and I would but knowing him... He would just tell me 'go to school Yadonushi. I'd be here when you get back' and stuff like that. Stupid Yami...'_ Ryou thought to himself, momentarily forgetting that a mind link was established between them. In truth, he hated being this way, acting like a giddy teenager in love for the very first time. But that's the thing- that's what he is. This was his first relationship- with an Ancient Spirit of all people. He took one more look at his Yami, before shaking his head.

_'What was I expecting? A cliché moment where he would suddenly pull me in his arms? Tell me he loves me and that I should stay with him instead of leaving? Yeah right, like Bakura would do that. He said it himself... He would not change- not even for me.'_ With one last lingering look, the white haired boy pulled the sheets from him and hopped off the bed. Screw being late, he wanted a bath.

The thief listened in mild amusement at the thoughts pouring through their link now. He still didn't like that sort of thought, because now he felt like he _had_ to protest Ryou going to school, or if he did, that he was just giving into what the boy wanted without putting up a fight. Truth be told, he really didn't want Ryou to go to school, both out of concern for him and his own selfish desires (that and the fact that the spirit had never really seen the benefit of Ryou going to school, as the knowledge he was gaining wouldn't be of any use once the world came crashing down around him). Bakura would much rather have his Yadonushi at home, with him, where nothing else could happen to him. In a way, he wanted to throw the boy back into his soul room, lock him in there so that he could remain blissfully unaware of all the tragic things that could happen to him in everyday life. He wanted to hide the boy, but knew that wasn't possible. It would end up driving both of them insane.

The white-haired boy sighed, submerging himself in water to the point that only his eyes were showing. He wondered if Bakura hated not talking to him as much as Ryou did. The thief was not exactly as talkative as he was when it came to those kinds of things anyway. Bakura put his mind into work half of the time- to the extent that he implied most of the things that he wanted to say. In truth, it left the boy bewildered half of the time but then again, Ryou could not complain that much. Such were the makings of a thief, right? When Ryou had to come up for a fresh breath of air, the door suddenly slammed open only to reveal a rather amused thief king. The white-haired boy blinked, noticing that he had a somewhat smaller built now compared to what he was a while ago while his tan skin looked paler actually. Also, his hair looked as if it was slowly growing up to his shoulders. _'Maybe it's just the lighting in the bathroom,'_he dismissed before flashing a smile towards his direction. He did not want to continue with this little cold war between the two of them.

He didn't move or speak as Ryou got up to go into the bath, just watched. After a time, he got up out of bed too and walked into the bathroom. Typical of him to just walk in there without even considering that his Hikari may want some privacy. When he got there, the boy was already in the bath. Bakura grinned down at him, leaning in to kiss him. He was connected to Ryou for only a second before stopping and pulling away. A curious expression had come over his face and he placed his palm on it, the other one onto Ryou's forehead. "You're warm," he said. He knew it was probably the bathwater but Ryou hadn't been in long enough for the heat to affect him that greatly. The thief laughed and pulled away, crossing his arms in front of Ryou. "Getting sick, Yadonushi? You can't go to school like that. Besides, you look exhausted. I can't let you go out in this state." He dipped his hand in the water, playfully splashing Ryou a little bit just to tease him. Bakura wanted so badly to remain angry, but seeing Ryou like this and knowing how he was feeling right now... something about it just made the thief feel oddly pleased. He actually felt playful, which was a good sign for both of them.

Ryou soon got his wish when he felt Bakura's lips on his. He whimpered slightly when the thief pulled away, looking up at him. Suddenly, he felt a palm press against his face, trying to check his temperature of some sorts. Oddly enough, he did not feel the least bit sick. If not, he felt as if he was in the best condition (save for darkening of his skin from their trip in Egypt). "I don't feel warm at a-" he coughed when he felt the water splash against his face, glaring at Bakura somewhat. Seriously, what was up with Bakura and his water-play fetish? Whatever it was, the boy was seriously tickled with interest when it comes to fulfilling Bakura's innermost fantasies. He grinned, standing up before snatching the clothes from his body. He grazed his fingertips against the thief's hips before pulling him closer. "Aren't you playful in the morning," he whispered, his warm breath hitting the thief's neck bit. With a loud splash, Ryou pulled the thief king inside the tub as well, the water dispensing to the floor somewhat flooding the bathroom.

Ryou's hands tangled with the thief king's hair, his pale back pressing against the wall. Sweet sounds of his voice fleeted through the air as skin kept grazing against skin. The water around them was lukewarm but Ryou's cheeks were deep red in shade as he pushed Bakura against the wall this time. More sounds came from their lips; Ryou gripping on Bakura as if his life depended on it. The boy's face was contorted that one look at him, people would immediately recognize what they were doing. However, he buried his face on the crook of the thief's neck, simply groaning and moaning at the friction. When he couldn't think that it was possible, Ryou's grip suddenly tightened around the thief's shoulder, tilting his head so that their lips would press against each other in an awkward kiss. Muffled sounds came from the two white-haired lovers, echoing around the room. Most of the water had been dispensed out of the tub but they did not stop what they were doing- if not, they simply increased their tempo. Ryou had to pull back for a fresh breath of air, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Maybe some of the thief's personality had truly rubbed off on him after all. He could read Bakura's emotions loud and clear- to the point that he was already overwhelmed by them. Bakura's firm yet gentle hands would profess his love for the boy in the most unique ways and the boy would respond with the same gestures of his lips. Both of them knew which buttons to push when it comes to each other, knowing which spots would make their lover scream in utmost delight. Ryou's nails dug in the thief's shoulders, indicating that he was getting near the peak, eyes wide open as he stared at the thief's eyes with much conviction. Usually, Ryou would have his eyes shut now but he wanted to maintain the eye contact with the thief king. He knew how Bakura enjoyed seeing him all flustered and as of now, Ryou's eyes were sparkling in delight. It mirrored his innocent soul, betrayed by the fact that he enjoyed this so. He could feel almost taste the fruits of his labor, just in his reach for the picking when the door slammed open again only to reveal a very flustered Egyptian boy.

"Ryou! The pharaoh's downstairs! What should I-" Marik blinked when Ryou's scream resonated in the room. His throat hurt and yet, it was the only way to release the tension that he was feeling. When the white-haired boy realized that Marik was actually in the room- staring at them- Ryou tried his best to hide in the thief's arms, looking away from the Egyptian.

His face was beet red- knowing what just happened. _'And he heard me... Oh gods,'_ he thought before pressing against Bakura even more. Marik immediately shut the door tight, running to the living room where the pharaoh sat.

It hadn't been hard for the thief king to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Even though he hadn't been making too much of a pass at Ryou (which would be an obvious lie if he were to outright state that), he had never expected to be pulled into the bath with him so forcefully like that. Not that he was complaining in the least, because it was a much-needed distraction from his thoughts and he genuinely did enjoy these little sessions - maybe a bit too much. So it was no surprise how angry he was when Marik had simply barged in on them like that without knocking. They were in the bathroom! What the hell did he think he was doing?

For a few moments, the world seemed to stand still. Ryou had crawled into his arms and Bakura was just glaring openly at Marik, looking enraged beyond belief. The Egyptian was wise to back out of the room like that, that was for sure. _I mean it, Ryou. Let me kill him. I'm sick of him bursting in on us like this._He may have been overreacting a little bit, but in his defense, the thief never really liked Marik much in the first place, and he truly was a huge inconvenience for them, especially when they were getting this intimate. He had been in a great mood earlier, for no real reason other than having some alone time with Ryou, but now he was just irritated again. And hearing that the Pharaoh was here was just making it worse.

After cleaning themselves and the bathroom up, Bakura led Ryou downstairs to face the Pharaoh. His normal glare was already set on his features, showing just how obviously displeased he was at the moment. "This had better be good, Pharaoh," he spat, sitting down and pulling Ryou to him so that the boy was on his lap. He didn't care how possessive he may have looked; it made him feel more secure knowing that the Pharaoh couldn't touch his Yadonushi while the boy was in his arms. Even when he spoke, Bakura was tracing small patterns on the boy's skin through his shirt. It was plain to see that he was tensing up with every spoken word, though.


	37. Indiscretions

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hello everyone~ I apologize again for not posting earlier, considering that I had free time before all this shit happened in my life. The term is near its end and I just cannot wait to get out of the University for some much needed R&R. To make matters worse, I have to undergo surgery because my tooth is impacted. Oh, and my stupid laptop charger died - - again. Ugh; 2011 is so not my year. On the upside, grades are relatively on the okay-level, though I cannot say for sure since the results of my quizzes are coming in a few minutes so I have my fingers- and toes- crossed. Wish me good luck in my academic endeavors?

In any case, I apologize in advance for any grammatical/spelling errors found in this chapter. I tried to fix it to the best of my abilities but sometimes, I skip a few. So yeah, apologies.

For some other non-LMST related news, I want to know if you want a one-shot up this Christmas season. I've been itching to write another one-shot but I just don't know which pairing to write about. (I want to try a serious Deathshipping one but I am not too sure). So yeah, indicate in your reviews as to the pairing you wish to read, if and when you want to read a one-shot from meeeee~

Now, as a preview for this chapter, I'm not really sure if you all remember what happened in the Ancient Egypt arc. If you find yourself lost with what the characters are talking about in this chapter, I suggest re-reading Chapter 31 if I'm not mistaken. :D

Well, I don't want to dilly dally any longer. :D We hope that you enjoy this chapter! :D Please review when you have the time. ;)

We do not own YGO or any of its characters. Otherwise, we would have fixed the story up a bit... If you know what I mean. ;3

**Chapter Warnings:** Implied!Sexy Time, Bronzeshipping Implications

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**Chapter 37:** Indiscretions.

Marik immediately shut the door tight, running to the living room where the pharaoh sat. "Are they available?" the pharaoh asked, looking at the tomb keeper before sighing. Marik looked flushed- as if he just embarrassed himself to the extent that he could not talk. Atem could only guess what had happened in the keeper's search for the lovers.

The moment Atem finally sat down with Bakura (Ryou in his arms, of course); the pharaoh hung his head low. "I came here with an apology in mind- a plan in mind on how to say sorry to you, actually. In truth, I don't know what to say- mostly because I'm too embarrassed to even look at you, Bakura. I did not mean to hurt you. I ask for your forgiveness for hurting you that way." He then looked at the thief, his gaze turning in a glare out of habit but he immediately relaxed it in a sympathetic stare, "What can I do to make it up to you two? What do you want, thief?" he asked, knowing that he could get a compromise somehow.

Being pulled in Bakura's arms is one thing but staying on his lap made it increasingly hard for the boy to focus. His gaze was not even on the pharaoh but instead, it was on the finger that kept on tracing small circles on him. His Yami looked as if he was going to trample the pharaoh any time soon and for a split second, Ryou could not help but feel like a cat in Bakura's arms. _'You're enjoying this too much, Bakura,'_ he said through the link before relaxing in his hold. For some reason, Atem looked a little fidgety, as if there was something that was absolutely bothering him. Ryou paid no attention to this though, simply dismissing it as plain guilt or something. Ryou could hear Bakura's thoughts perfectly, mostly thoughts about not really believing Atem's apology in the first place. As Bakura's hold around his waist tightened, Ryou's grip on the other's shoulder tightened as well, mostly to control Bakura from suddenly lashing out in anger. In truth, Ryou truly complimented the thief's inability to stay calm regarding these kinds of things.

By the time Atem was finished speaking, Bakura was holding even tighter to Ryou than before, though he didn't notice this fact. It was subconscious, showing his tenseness like this. "I don't want anything from you that I can't take myself, Pharaoh," he hissed, voice dangerously low. "You want to apologize? Hmph. You can beg, for all I care. Apologize for everything; it still won't change the past. Not a bit." He wasn't sure if he was referring to the massacre of Kul Elna or how the Pharaoh had attacked Ryou. He wasn't even certain what it was that the Pharaoh was apologizing for in the first place, but regardless of what it was, nothing would change. Bakura wasn't capable of forgiveness, not at this point. He had hated the Pharaoh for too long - one couldn't just dispel three thousand years' worth of hatred just with one apology. When Bakura said something about the pharaoh not being able to change the past, he looked at his Yami. "Bakura..." he whispered before smiling. He traced the thief's cheek a little, noticing that the scar was not there anymore. Right now, the thief king could pass up as a person of this time (unlike the pharaoh who still looked like he was sucked out of Ancient Egypt. Ryou was trying his best to calm the thief king down, making soft sounds that he knew Bakura found somewhat soothing. Yet, what Ryou noticed was the fact that Bakura was not enraged at all- or if he was truly enraged, he did not put much emphasis on it. He could not bite back a soft moan when he felt Bakura breathe against his ear like that, his nails digging in the thief's arm. "K-Kura... P-Please..." he whispered, just audible enough for Bakura to hear. His cheeks were flushed once more, his nails raking against the thief's arm.

"I did not mean to kill Bakura," the pharaoh whispered, head hanging low still. Of course Yami went here to apologize to Ryou properly but then again, there was another reason as to why he did not want Bakura (or at least Ryou) to stay mad at him for long. Yuugi was so happy now that they were in this world and if the boy would learn that he did something with the High Priest then it would surely break his heart. The pharaoh sighed, before locking his eyes with Ryou's. "I was only looking out for Yuugi. I-I did not notice that it was you there and I just could not let him die. Y-You're Yuugi's friend, are you not? I know that you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Bakura," he whispered, eyes looking as if they were begging for mercy. Ryou parted his lips to speak, trying to collect his thoughts. In truth, he did not bear any negative feelings towards the pharaoh for what had happened. Instead, he hated the pharaoh for causing so much harm to Bakura's soul. He was the one who turned the thief this way and it was not something that Ryou could take so could not deny that he was getting a sick kind of pleasure from hearing the Pharaoh ask for forgiveness - even coming as close as to beg for it. But he wasn't going to give into it anytime soon. And besides, the thief still hadn't had all his fun yet. He listened as Atem began to plead and insist that he hadn't intended to kill Ryou. "Of course you didn't want to kill him," Bakura hissed. He knew this much was true, at least. "You wanted to kill me. It wasn't just about protecting your little vessel, was it? Don't think I've forgotten the lengths you went to get me to show myself before the whole mess in Egypt. It was never just about Yuugi."

A cruel smirk came over him then, and he leaned his chin on Ryou's shoulder, pulling the boy closer to him. He just couldn't resist having the smaller boy against him like this. Even after their little romp in the bath, the thief still found that he was hungry for more... though maybe nothing quite as far as that. Just a little bit of contact. So without thinking, he kissed the shell of Ryou's ear, facing the boy but with his eyes always locked on the Pharaoh's. "Look at him, Yadonushi... he's afraid." Bakura's voice was low, but loud enough that both Marik and the Pharaoh would be able to overhear what he was saying to his Hikari. "He knows what we're both capable of and what we know about his little secret. He has something to lose, Ryou... that's why he's here. He's trying to protect little Yuugi... or maybe he's only trying to protect himself."

What he said was undeniably cruel, even when the Pharaoh was coming here of his own accord to apologize, but the thief king had no way of knowing that. He didn't trust Atem enough to even think for a second that he might have genuinely good intentions - he was probably just here because he had seen some sort of benefit in it. Bakura laughed darkly and trailed his tongue up Ryou's neck lightly, teasing the skin in an attempt to make the boy shudder and squirm. Call it a sadistic pleasure, but Bakura really like having that reaction from his host. And besides, if Ryou was preoccupied with what Bakura was making him feel, then there would be a smaller chance of him protesting the thief's assumption. No, he may protest it in his mind, but he wouldn't speak out. It was an unintentional kind of manipulation, brought about because Bakura simply couldn't keep his hands off his Ryou.

He listened intently to what the thief told him, gulping. What exactly did Bakura mean when he said 'something to lose'? The pharaoh had everything he could have ever wanted, right? Another whimper, another soft groan escaped his lips when he felt Bakura's tongue graze again his neck like that. He did not find this the appropriate time or place to do things like this but strangely enough, Ryou found it rather exhilarating. He closed his eyes and simply succumbed to the feeling, leaning against the thief now as he listened to what Bakura said through the mind link. What the thief said next made Ryou move off of him, widening his eyes a little. "A-Are you serious?" he asked, his back resting on the arm of the couch. _'B-But... h-he could not have! He could not have cheated on Yuugi. H-He said it himself... He loved Yuugi!'_ he reasoned out. Now, Ryou was not trying to protect the pharaoh from anything. He just did not find it fair that his only friend- or at least the only person who attempted to be his friend- was being lied to by the pharaoh. He moved back towards the thief king, arms wrapping around the thief's arm before nodding. _'It's not as if he has not lied before...'_ he then continued, eventually believing Bakura's continued to touch Ryou, kissing his neck now and then as he spoke through their mind link. Bakura could not suppress a small smirk when he felt and heard Ryou's reaction to this little secret he had revealed._ He did, though,_ Bakura insisted. _Do you think I would make something like that up? I know what happened through Zorc. _He was outright smirking now that he knew he was being believed. And why shouldn't he be? Bakura spoke the truth now, after all. But this glee was nothing compared with the Pharaoh getting on his knees and begging for sympathy from the two people on earth who would be the least likely to give it to him. He had hurt them both too much in too many ways, and now he was hurting Yuugi, his lover, too - one of the few people in this life that Ryou trusted and liked. Yuugi was his only real friend before all this had happened, and despite all that had gone one, still remained friendly with the boy.

The pharaoh simply looked away the moment he heard the thief said that. "I made a mistake... H-He seduced me, yes, but then I wanted it as well. I wanted it at the time but not anymore. I love Yuugi, Bakura-kun. Please, d-don't tell him... It'll break him!" the pharaoh begged. Soon enough, Atem was on his knees, looking at the thief king. "What more do you want, thief king? You have all of the Millennium Items. Your lover is in your arms. I do not understand as to why you still feel these hostile emotions towards me. This petty revenge cannot bring back the souls of that Village of Thieves," he muttered. Even if the pharaoh was already begging to keep Yuugi in his arms, Atem still had that certain air around him- an air of boastfulness and pride. Ryou looked at the thief king before biting his lower lip, _'I want him broken up, Kura... I-I want him to suffer in so many ways... I want him to feel what it feels like to have your lover taken from you while you simply watch helplessly. He doesn't care about Yuugi... H-He only cares about himself,' _he said through the link, eyes filled with utmost pain. Ryou's eyes were shining with so much sadness and despair- emotions that could easily trigger the rage of the thief king.

This sadistic glee did not last very long. When that the Pharaoh brought up Kul Elna - calling it the Village of Thieves instead of its true title, no less - and the souls that still resided there, Bakura felt something in him snap. He had lost all patience with the Pharaoh now. Not only because of the blatant disrespect and selfishness he displayed, but because he was hurting Ryou with said selfishness. He ceased stroking and kissing Ryou suddenly, lifting the boy off of him and glaring evenly at the Pharaoh. Despite the air of rage that was coming from the King of Thieves, he actually managed to look and act rather calm aside from the dangerous glare being directed at the Pharaoh.

"Marik... I want you to leave. Go out somewhere. Anywhere. Now."As soon as the words left Bakura's mouth, the Egyptian scurried out of the room. He didn't need another distraction or intervention, unless of course it was Ryou that wanted to stop things. The thief stood up and stalked forwards, lunging at the person across the room that was currently on his knees. They took quite a stumble, and when they slowed down a bit, Bakura ended up dragging Yami Yuugi up by the collar and slamming him into the wall. He was panting heavily, finally showing that anger he had been feeling this whole time.

"You just don't get it, do you?" He hissed. "I may not be able to bring them back, but at least I can put them all to rest!" He slammed the back of the Pharaoh's head into the wall violently, snarling as he did so. He didn't care how much pain he dealt out, as long at Atem stayed conscious for the time being. "Tell me why I should not tell your 'beloved' vessel what you did behind his back. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take everything from you before I finally make you die!" Bakura slammed him against the wall again, growling as he leaned in close (too close; he was being just a bit too confrontational right now). "One. Reason. That's all I need to hear."

A hand was placed on his own neck when he watched the two dark beings try to have a decent conversation for the first time. What had happened in Yuugi's room seemed to have occurred ages from today, making Ryou forget that the pharaoh had actually attempted to take his life just to draw out the thief. In truth, Ryou is still shocked that the thief had gone after him when the pharaoh threatened to kill him. Maybe Bakura truly cared for him that way. He could remember the pain of suffocation, his lungs giving in from the lack of oxygen. If the thief came a few moments later, then he would've lost his life right then and there. The boy realized how many times he was taken away from the thief king by this man's hands- the same man that he was trying to protect from the thief king. Ryou could distinctly remember how the pharaoh's men 'kidnapped' him from where he was supposed to meet with Bakura. He could remember how the pharaoh ordered Seth to protect him from the pharaoh, leading to Bakura's injury. He could remember how the broad sword pierced through his body like it was made out of something soft and took his life. He could feel the hatred for the pharaoh brooding inside of him but he just could not bring himself to hate the pharaoh just as much as Bakura did.

Atem's eyes were shut tight, wincing at the sudden pain he felt. The collision with the wall was no small feat, given that the thief attacked him with all of strength. He could barely hear the thief talk to him, his vision slightly blurry from the headache that he was feeling. "One reason?" he asked, feeling the pain of near-suffocation of the thief's hand on his collar. He glared back at the thief king before seeing Ryou in the distance. The boy looked torn- as if he actually wanted to help the pharaoh but his loyalty to the thief caused his feet to plant firmly on the ground. "Because it will break Yuugi. And whether you like it or not, if Yuugi gets broken, your little host gets broken as well," the pharaoh shot back before pushing the thief away from him. He took one deep breath before glaring at the thief king. This was not the meeting that he was expecting and he certainly did not come here to start a fight but he knew that he needed to put these issues to rest- for Yuugi's safety... and his own. Even though Ryou would hate to admit it, what the stupid pharaoh said actually made sense. Yuugi was Ryou's only friend even though the boy never knew of the dark spirit that resided in his soul. Even if his gaming friend did not give him the privilege of being called by his name, Ryou still regarded him as the closest person to him (aside from Bakura). It pained him still though that Yuugi did not regard him as a true friend- given that he called Marik by his name even if the tomb keeper threatened to take his life and the pharaoh's life as well. With these thoughts in mind, it simply made Ryou feel as if he was nothing. He spent his nights in solitude when Bakura was not by his side. The pharaoh was wrong when he said that the two white-haired lovers had everything. In truth, they only had each other.

For a split second it seemed as if Bakura were actually considering the Pharaoh's reason for protecting himself and his vessel. If Yuugi's heart was broken, it would affect Ryou? That didn't make sense, but at the same time, something about it just seemed too right. The thief's grip loosened for a millisecond and his hard glare faltered, but almost faster than his resolve had shaken it was back up again. "That's not going to work, Pharaoh," Bakura growled. He pulled Yami Yuugi away from the wall and tossed him to the ground, going over to him and kneeling down, one knee on either side of his chest. The thief's hand came back around the other's throat and clenched, not enough to cut off his air yet but enough so that it hurt.

"You seem to forget all those times that you and your vessel neglected my host," he whispered dangerously. His voice was still low, but the rest of the house was dead silent, so Bakura's voice easily carried over to Ryou's ears. "You don't even call him by his first name. Don't you see, Pharaoh? The vessel doesn't. He's Ryou -

_I'm_ Bakura. Is it even Ryou you two try and speak with, or were you just speaking to me through him?" He looked to his Yadonushi, still standing there looking as if his mind and heart were being guided in two different directions. "Don't think he doesn't care. He just doesn't say anything about it because he's too damn polite." He laughed again, the sound coming out a bit more unevenly than intended. It truly made the thief king sound like he was losing his mind, but his thoughts couldn't be any more clear right now. "And you also forget that _he_ was the one you stabbed for attempting to kill Yuugi. He was ready to kill the boy."

Bakura knew that what he was saying was not the entirety of what Ryou felt - he had simply taken aspects of them and presented them in a certain way. He knew that Ryou was actually still quite fond of Yuugi, but was hoping somehow that through his words he could still convince Ryou that this was what he wanted, that he really didn't care as much about Yuugi as the Pharaoh thought. It wouldn't have been the first time he had influenced the boy's thoughts and feelings.

He was about to strike the Pharaoh again when arms suddenly came around him from behind. "Relax, Tozokuoh," he cooed, knowing that the thief could not think clearly when he was enraged like this. A kiss was placed on the thief's right ear before letting him go, "Killing him right here would... ruin the fun." Bakura's eyes came out of focus for a second and he relaxed. He could always pick back up where he left off at any time. But the lips on his ear and the slow, somehow seductive voice telling him to wait... The thief king could not suppress the shudder that came. Those words and that tone sent delicious shivers all the way down his spine and he let out an involuntary noise of pleasure. "Of course..." he replied quietly. "I never intended to kill him now, but you're right, my Yadonushi..." Bakura then shifted and backed away, off of the Pharaoh. He was still in Ryou's arms, smirking smugly and comfortably. "Did you have something else in mind for now, or should we just let him go back to his vessel? We don't know how much time he'll have left with the poor boy, after all..."

It's amazing as to how the thief king would respond like that to a simple request. Possibly it was because it was along the lines of his personal goal but still, it was nice to know that Bakura would easily succumb to his 'orders'. The white-haired boy looked at the thief king before moving towards the pharaoh. "If you do not tell Yuugi yourself, then the consequences would be dire. What would hurt more, pharaoh? Hurting Yuugi yourself or having someone else tell him?" he whispered before smiling at him. It was obvious that the smile was not the one that he did usually. It was a saddened smile, mostly because Ryou still felt sympathetic towards the relationship that was about to end. He closed his eyes, "I'll give you ten counts for you to get out of this house." The boy had not even reached the 5th count and the pharaoh had already run out of the house. Once they were alone, Ryou fixated his gaze at the thief king, "Yuugi's friends are there to distract him from any feelings he had for the pharaoh... I never had that kind of luxury."

He could not help but bite his lower lip in nervousness before moving in his arms once more, closing his eyes upon contact. "You're the only one I have left," he said truthfully, wrapping his arms around his darker counterpart. He knew that Bakura would not be able to stay for long and he knew that this relationship would not last forever but still, he wanted to relish the remaining moments he had with the Spirit of the Ring. "Even if we only have each other... I'm would not have wanted it any other way. I need you. I love you. I'm yours," he whispered grabbing the thief's hand before smiling. He nuzzled the top of his hand and mirrored the thief's gesture back in Ancient Egypt. He kissed the top of the green stone before kissing his pale nimble fingers. He then proceeded to kissing the back of his hand before grinning a little, "From the looks of it, you're the girl in the relationship," pointing it out that Bakura was the one who was wearing an 'engagement' ring of some sorts. Ryou smiled before nuzzling the thief. At first, he thought that he loved hearing his name from the thief because he did not hear it that often- or at least, from the people he wanted to hear it from. _'It's not the name... It's the fact that you're the one saying my name again and again makes me feel like my heart's on fire every time.' _The next thing that got brought up made the thief laugh shortly. He tapped Ryou on the head to mock-scold him. "You think so?" He cooed. He really did love this ring, but only because it came from his host - and now the boy was using this gift against him, albeit teasingly. "Am I going to have to prove you wrong, Ryou?" And that was how things had started: Bakura had tackled Ryou to the ground, kissing him hungrily.

To say the least, Bakura was impressed with how Ryou handled this situation. He had gotten the Pharaoh out of the house, yes, but even better than that, he had been able to back the man against a wall and force him to make a decision by threatening him. And he knew that this wasn't just an empty threat - it may have been hurting Yuugi to tell him this, but if Ryou did it, he would also believe he was protecting his friend. But at the same time, he was simply discarding his friend in a way. What Ryou said was true; Bakura really was all he had left now... and it was the thief's fault for that in the first place. He grinned, unseen by Ryou, and looked down. He lifted the boy's shirt, touching the scars the Millennium Ring had left on his chest. "Yes... it's always been that way." Ryou had always belonged to him, always had needed him. And yet it was Bakura himself who had assured this. He had used and manipulated Ryou so much and so often that there was no way the distance between he and his friends could be repaired, even if they had made huge efforts for it. Bakura had made it so Ryou had depended on him and nobody else.

The boy stared back in those eyes, noticing that they were not purple in shade anymore. No, the thief looked like him now- save for those deep crimson eyes that stared back at him. Bakura's eyes held so much love and warmth- something that he never expected to see after those years of torment. Those hands that forced the Millennium Ring to hurt him were the same hands that were cradling him right now. Those were the same hands that would stroke his cheek or that would run a hand through his hair in a tender gesture. Ryou leaned against the thief even more, sighing in contentment, "You look like yourself again- a little paler than me but nothing out of the ordinary," he pointed out, given that Ryou experienced a little too much sun during the journey in Egypt. He looked up at his darkness, running a hand through those white unruly locks of his before pulling him in another kiss. Looking at Bakura now was like looking at his reflection but at the same time, he knew that he was a different person. He missed those soft fingers against his skin, in contrast to the former thief's rough hands. It took him a second to stop and look at his hands, and he realized that they were smaller. And, come to think of it, he didn't feel quite as heavy as he had last night. "Good," he whispered. "I much prefer being this way."

"B-Before we get carried away, I think we should get the Millennium Items before something bad happens. It's just a safety precaution," he stated, pushing the thief off of him before standing up. In truth, he never did understand as to why the thief would cause this sudden pump of adrenaline and lust all at the same time. There was surely something about this thief king that was innately seductive. _'Stop looking at me like that!'_ he scolded the thief, flushing as he looked away from those eyes. He could read what the thief was thinking and truthfully, he had to applaud the thief's libido to actually do this time and time again. If only the boy knew that he had the same effects on the thief that said thief had on him. Ryou turned around before running upstairs. He grabbed the bag of the Millennium Items before placing them inside the safe. The door creaked open a few moments later, the boy looking up at the thief. Doe eyes held so much innocence that it was impossible for absolutely anyone not to ravage said white-haired teen right then and there. One could only wonder as to how much resolve the thief had left.

For a while the thief contemplated following Ryou while he put the Millennium Items away and just jumping him, but he decided to hold off and wait until Ryou came to him and took the time to lock the door while he waited. It wouldn't do to have someone walking in on them, as it looked like another one of their sessions was inevitable at this point, but Bakura wasn't going to complain at all. They had been so rudely walked in on earlier, after all. When Ryou came back, Bakura was immediately at him, taking his hand and leaning up close. "Why do you have to be this way, landlord?" He whispered. He didn't give Ryou time to respond, as right away his lips were on the boy's, massaging them open so he could slip his tongue inside. Between every long, hungry kiss, Bakura would take short breath and hiss short phrases against Ryou's lips. "So.. alluring... beautiful... mm, so good... Mmm... Need you, now..."

He pulled Ryou to him, so close that there was no room left between them anymore, and guided the boy so that his back was pressed against the wall. There was heat, so much heat, building between the both of them, the little noises that they were making only making things go faster. It was getting unbearable, the heat and the lack of proper contact, so Bakura took it upon himself to remedy that. The friction between them only continued to grow, each one making their own contribution. It was a steady rhythm of touching and pulling, pushing and sliding, and they still hadn't gone as far as intended. Bakura's lips rarely left his Hikari's, and when they did, it was only to regain his breath and maybe leave a mark on his neck or to whisper something secret in his ear. With every shiver and moan he dragged out of his host, one was torn from the thief as well as response and encouragement.

The lights were dimming in Ryou's point of view, feeling as if his lungs kept on losing enough air and just when he was about to faint, Bakura would part from their kiss and allow him to breathe. This went on for a couple more minutes before the boy exclaimed, different colorful words echoing in the room before he relied on the wall for support. If he was not held by the dark being, he would have completely collapsed on the floor. Sweat was trickling from his forehead, down to his neck as he stared at his lover. His eyes were glazed over as the corner of his lips tugged a little in a small smile. He looked at Bakura, lovingly as he brushed some bangs away from his eyes. "I take it the honey moon comes before the actual wedding," he whispered before laughing a little. Ryou looked at the thief king before smiling again, pressing their foreheads together before blushing. "I may now kiss my bride?" he asked before claiming Bakura's lips in his, sharing that tender moment with the thief king. He loved Bakura with all his heart and nothing could change that. "I told you that you're the girl," he chided, kissing his cheek just to annoy the thief, "Honey."

* * *

From a short distance away, someone was watching as Marik left Ryou's home. The Egyptian's dark side had also woken up with everyone else, but in a different location - the same place where he had last been banished, by Bakura's Shadow Game. It hadn't taken him long to make his way here and wait, having felt his other personality waiting in there. And now that he had his own separate existence, somehow, there was just so much more he could do...

Yami Marik followed after his light counterpart for a distance, until they came to the mouth of an alleyway. With a quick move he had grabbed his other self, one arm around his neck, the other about his waist, holding him in place. He pressed his lips against Marik's ear, much in the way he had when he had been mocking Ryou when they had been together. He was holding the other like a toy, something he owned completely, but was being just slightly gentler than usual. "Well, look at this... my dominant personality!" He breathed, laughing and sounding cheerful enough that it seemed he was greeting a long-lost brother. Which, in a way, he sort of was. "Now, what brings you out and about at such an odd hour? Shouldn't you be in school right now? Or following around your new masters like the useless little puppet they made you?"

He laughed again, darkly, taking his time to lick at Marik's earlobe. "Such a shame that you've been reduced to this... and you used to have such a strong will, too, my dominant personality... not quite as strong as mine, if I recall, but still something to be respected, for sure..."

Marik could feel his heart racing in its ribcage when he felt his darker half's arms laced around him- almost protectively. His eyes narrowed to a glare as he looked at the bigger Egyptian holding him close. He found it increasingly hard to concentrate, having him so close like this. This was the being that represented all him anger, hatred, and rage for the pharaoh. This was the being of darkness that he created- a being that has now turned human, seemingly asking him for something. "What do you wa-ahh-nt," he said in reply, cursing himself for letting that moan come out of his lips. In truth, he felt rather aroused with the way his darker half held him- almost like how he would want to treat Ryou if he was given a chance. "I want the pharaoh dead... But I want something more now," the Egyptian whispered before prying himself off of the former rod-keeper's arms, utterly serious. "I want Ryou, my darker counterpart. I want him for myself... And the only way to do that is to... get rid of the thief king."

He placed a hand on his waist before looking at him intently, "Take the thief so that I can have Ryou for myself."

Marik's darkness chuckled deeply as he was pushed away. Truly, Ryou and Bakura had done a good job of changing his other self if this was the reaction he was getting. But he couldn't complain much, as he was being asked by his other personality, who he would do nearly anything for in one way or another, to complete a task that would prove to be far too much fun. But it still wasn't enough; Yami Marik had another intention in mind, which had been why he followed his dominant personality all the way here in the first place. "Is that really all you want?" He asked. "Because I can easily grant that wish... but I thought you might like to know something else, first."

He felt the hand on his waist and mirrored the action, only instead of putting his hand on Marik's waist, the darker half of the Egyptian tangled it in his long blond hair. He gripped it hard, enough for it to sting pleasantly. He leaned in close and whispered, "They've changed you, my other self. They altered your memories and changed your personality so you will follow them without question... but that is not really where your loyalties lie. I want you to see who you used to be... and if you don't believe my words, then get the Millennium Rod and search through my memory. We are one and the same, so naturally our memories should match... once you find out the truth, then I will get you what you desire."

Marik could not help but yelp and groan a little the moment he was yanked like that. He hated getting hurt in any way but then again, the tomb keeper could not believe that his darker counterpart was still acting at least a little more gentle with him in comparison to what he would do to other people. The Hikari's lips formed in a small smile, looking up at his darkness. "I know that they controlled my gestures and I also know that they used the Millennium Key to brainwash me. But you forget as to who brought the Millennium Items back to the house. Upon acquisition of the Millennium Key, all of my memories went back from before. However," he whispered before flipping their positions and slamming the other Egyptian against the wall. A sly grin was present on his lips as he licked them a little, "I do not care about the pharaoh anymore for my task is finished. I have something that I want now and I am certain that you want the other end of the bargain as well." His tongue grazed against Yami Marik's neck before grinning against it, "Do we have a deal?"

Hearing his other half's response, Marik laughed. He raked his nails down the other's arm, licking his ear again and biting down. "Yes..." he whispered. "That's more like it, my dominant personality... I was starting to wonder if you were going to realize. But this makes things so much more interesting... you're being your usual manipulative self again. Though I'm surprised you want to go after the person that took your precious sister from you..." Or maybe he could have said _their_ sister. After all, he was a part of Marik, so technically Ishizu was a sibling to both of them.

Yami Marik tugged on his light counterpart's hair, laughing darkly. "I live to serve you, dominant personality," he whispered. It was his way of saying he agreed to the deal and would see it through to the end... whatever that end would be. Marik's darkness wasn't intending to simply go along with whatever his other self had planned without questioning it. He had always had a separate will, despite never having a separate body, and different goals too. "I will do whatever I can to get little Ryou in your possession."


	38. Incognito

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

I wanted to post this last week but I learned that my grandmother had passed on early that morning. I apologize for posting this later than expected. I hope you guys understand.

YGO is ours. In a parallel universe.

* * *

**Chapter 38: **Incognito.

The pharaoh was feeling utterly conflicted. His hands were in his pockets, simply staring at the ground as he walked towards Domino High. He still promised to Yuugi that he will meet him by lunch and well, it was nearing noon anyway. _'Whatever happens, Yuugi... Please know that I love you with all of my heart. I was foolish and careless for doing such deed,'_ he said through the mind link as he contemplated on how to tell the small boy about this. Yuugi was always beaming with happiness and excitement- especially when they reached his hometown. Yami was standing on the courtyard when all of the students ran outside for their lunch. His partner was no exception as well, grinning like he just won the lottery. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, eyes looking so sad. "A-Aibou... I have to tell you something. It was a mistake and I would not let it happen again," he started out, looking at the boy ever so sadly. He took a deep breath before looking away from the boy. "I-I... lost the spare key you gave me."

When Yuugi finally caught sight of his Yami, he practically ran up to the other and tackled him, wrapping his arms around the slightly taller man's neck. "You came!" He cheered. But he pulled away a second later, not liking the sound of what his Yami had said... and especially after what he had heard leaking through the mind link a few moments ago. "Is everything okay?" He asked, worry very clear in his voice. But he waited anyway, and when he heard what the mistake was, Yuugi couldn't help but frown. Something seemed off about that, but who was he to question his other self? Atem wouldn't lie to him, would he? "Are you sure that's all? Because I can always get you another key..."

He wasn't sure what it was, but Yuugi had a bad feeling about all of this.

The pharaoh frowned the moment he saw Yuugi's face. He looked as if he was utterly concerned about the pharaoh. Atem was not questioning it at all though. He knew that he was guilty and he knew that he should not even be worthy to hold on his partner like this. He sighed reluctantly before sitting down, pulling Yuugi in his lap. His arms tightened around the boy protectively and for those few moments, they were the only people in the world. "You have the right... To leave me, Yuugi. I-I... did something that I am not proud of. I did something that would break your heart in two- I know mine did when I realized what I did," he started, eyes looking at him sadly. Atem looked as if he was going to break down any moment now; however, he knew that this was the right thing to do. He had to inform his partner of his misdeed. His story was blunt and simple- telling Yuugi everything that had occurred while he was in lock down in Kul Elna. By the time the pharaoh was finished, he had already buried his face against Yuugi's neck in order to stop himself from shedding any tears.

"If you want me to leave, I would. I just... needed to tell you because you had to know. Also, it was for the sake of my sanity."

Yuugi's eyes widened as the Pharaoh explained what had gone on in his chamber after he had been kidnapped. What he heard appalled him, and yet he still could not find it in him to hate his Yami. There had to be a good reason, right? He wasn't himself, or his judgment had been clouded by lust... or something like that, right? It had been the dark god using Seth's body, not Seth himself, hadn't it? Maybe that was why this had happened.

Yuugi looked away, at his hands. He knew he was just making excuses for the Pharaoh, but in truth he didn't seem to mind that. If anything, he was glad that this wasn't something Atem was trying to hide from him... but then again, why hadn't he said anything earlier? What made him want to spill his heart now? The boy smiled sadly and wrapped his arms around his other self. Yes, this news hurt, but he was willing to forgive the Pharaoh for what he had done. "I couldn't leave you, even if you did do that to me. I know it wasn't to hurt me." Having Atem admit this himself was enough to convince the boy of that. He pulled away for a second and looked behind him. "Oh, right. After school, Jounouchi-kun and everyone else are coming over again. They're worried about me because they noticed I don't have the Millennium Puzzle..." he trailed off, once again averting his gaze from his Yami's. He wasn't even sure if his other self wanted to reveal his separate existence yet, and besides, there was something else gnawing away at Yuugi's mind.

"Th-they don't know about Bakura-kun yet, but they suspect something since he hasn't come to school today. They want to see him, but I don't know if that's a good idea... What do you think?" Because if his Yami thought it would be okay, then Yuugi knew he could trust his judgment. But he still was uneasy about Bakura.

A frown grazed the pharaoh's lips the moment he looked at Yuugi. The boy did not seem to mind the deed he just committed- and it somewhat troubled the pharaoh in great extents. Why was the boy reacting so calm and collected even after learning that his lover- his pharaoh- cheated on him with another? If it were Atem, Yuugi would have been tossed out somewhere else and he would forever have his wrath for thinking that he could get away with cheating on him. He sighed before stroking the smaller boy's cheek. _'I fail to understand how you can be so forgiving. I do not know as to why you can stay with someone like me,'_he said through the link even though the comments were more rhetoric than he wanted. Their lips connected in a simple kiss- just so Atem had a chance to have the boy's innocent lips on his. He missed him so for it felt like ages since they had last touched. Atem could not help but let out a breathy sigh the moment his lover asked something of him. It might not be a good thing to bring the boy in Bakura's house, seeing what happened the last time that he was there but at the same time, the pharaoh knew that Yuugi was also worried about his friend.

"If you're that worried about Ryou, then we'll go. However, if this is only a wish of your friends, we shall do what you want. You should never have someone else dictate your actions for you, Yuugi," he cooed before pressing against the boy. "You have no idea as to how much you tempt me right now," he whispered, his hand snaking underneath the boy's shirt but not enough to do something utterly disgraceful.

Yuugi only shrugged at his other self's thoughts. "Well, I don't want to lose you. You're the most important person to me, Atem. Even if... I... I don't think I could go on without you." He had cut off his sentence with much unease, having thought briefly about how he knew he couldn't stay with the Pharaoh forever. He knew that he had to send his lover to the afterlife eventually, but... for now, he could be selfish and just take what he was getting. It had hurt that his other self had slept with Seth, but it wasn't something he could change, and, like he said, he was able to forgive him.

That wasn't the issue right now, though. Yuugi laughed a bit and swatted Atem away from him playfully. "There are so many people around now!" He exclaimed. "It'll be hard enough to explain why I suddenly have a twin, but if people see him trying to shove his tongue down my throat that could _really_ raise some questions. Besides, you know how I'm not exactly... you know..." He blushed a bit, remembering all the times he had been bullied. Really, Yuugi was just looking out for both of them by refusing Atem's current passes. _Later, okay? After we get back from Bakura-kun's, I'll let you do whatever you want to me._

The idea of going to Bakura's home still filled him with anxiety, but he intended to go anyway. He had from the very start, if only because his friends were so worried. But what would happen if they found out that the Spirit of the Ring was back, and had been the one leaving those marks on Ryou all along? What would they think of their friend? But what worried Yuugi even more was the thought of what both Ryou and the Spirit were capable of doing now. They had been in some really close calls while in Egypt...

Atem sighed somewhat exasperatedly before looking at Yuugi. The boy just looked so tempting- so alluring just staring up at him like that. The pharaoh purred against the boy's ear, giving it a nibble before he heard a soft clearing of the throat. "Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu," he stated, regarding the three with a curt nod. He thoroughly disliked the fact that he was cut from his time with Yuugi, but then again, these people helped control his urges in a way. At the very least, Atem tried to control himself now that their friends were here- staring at them. _'I don't think I can last that long, Aibou,'_he stated through the link before sending some vivid images that were flowing in his mind. Needless to say, none of them were appropriate for young boys but Atem figured that Yuugi wouldn't mind the images much, now would he? The pharaoh's arms wrapped protectively around the shorter boy as if to state the status of their relationship (which was basically confirmed by the way Yuugi was sitting on the pharaoh's lap in the first place).

Atem maneuvered so that he was able to stand before guiding his partner to stand as well. "Seeing as you all have P.E. next, why don't you get off early so we can visit Baku- I mean R-Ryou," he stuttered before sighing lightly. He felt somewhat guilty for the fact that Yuugi was never able to call his friend by his name. He knew that he somewhat influenced the boy to do that- with his hatred of the thief king running through every fiber of his being. Those thoughts aside, he knew that Yuugi could at least try to be friends with Ryou- given that the white-haired boy was still considered as Bakura's total 'opposite'. "I haven't known you for a long time- well, I kind of did considering that you were inside Yuugi's body- but I like you a lot, pharaoh!" Jounouchi exclaimed, a wide grin present on his face. "I like the way you think. C'mon guys, it's better if we can get time off from Interpretative Dance," he said with a slight shudder, "I don't think I can act out being the tree another day."

Though Yuugi felt bit bad for just skipping out on their classes like this, he was at least relieved that everyone seemed to accept the fact that the Pharaoh now had a body of his own.

Would they realize that Bakura and the Spirit of the Ring were the same, or would Ryou insist on trying to hide that fact? He supposed it was really up to their friend, but he didn't like the thought of possibly deceiving the rest of his friends. And if the Spirit of the Ring wanted to hurt them... then he couldn't just stay silent! All these thoughts went straight to Atem; hopefully he would have some sort of input on this.

* * *

Marik could not help but tap his foot in irritation the moment he heard those noises again. "Worse than rabbits," he muttered, mostly because of his little jealous fit. In truth, he did not care much about his sister anymore for even after their duties to the pharaoh had ended, she had insisted that they should continue with their family's rituals and ceremonial duties. He closed his eyes before staring at his darker counterpart. "What would they do if they see you? From the conversation that we had a while ago, you seem to be well acquainted with the two keepers of the Ring. How do you know them?" he asked, trying to understand as to when they all met. In truth, the Egyptian was still curious as to why Yami Marik was still here in the first place. Was he not supposed to be in the Shadow Realm? Nonetheless, Marik enjoyed having him around- not because he felt something just like the two lights that fell for their darkness. No, he just finally understood the feeling of completion that Ryou was looking for the night he saw the boy alone in the living room.

Dark Marik followed his other self into the house, staying quiet until they were in. "How do I know them? Well, let's just say a lot of things happened in Egypt. If you want the real details, have your plaything tell you once he's yours." The Yami's eyes narrowed in amusement, showing that he knew a lot more than he was letting on. He relished in the fact that he could hide something from his light counterpart, even though they were technically the same person.

Ryou stretched, tugging on the thief's wrist before smiling. "Creampuff?" he asked, remembering that the thief still had a few dozen creampuffs left in the fridge. The boy was smiling, fingers interlaced with the thief king's as they made their way downstairs. Immediately, his smile fell the moment he saw the tomb keeper... with the other Marik. "You just don't die easily, do you?" he spat out, glaring at him. It was apparent by now that some of the thief's abrasive attitude had rubbed off on the boy just as how the boy imparted his loving gestures on Bakura.

When they were joined by the two white-haired boys, Marik raised an eyebrow. Interesting, he thought, upon seeing Bakura's appearance changed back to look like Ryou's, and the way the Hikari spoke to him just now. "Dying isn't something I'm interested in, Yadonushi." Again, that mocking use of the term of endearment Bakura often used. "I'm here for the same reasons you are. I was alive in ancient Egypt, and when you came back, so did I. It's as simple as that." He was smirking now, noticing the look of anger on Bakura's face. Said thief was not exactly subtle in his emotions right now. _Always at the worst time!_He screamed in his head. But he stayed quiet and just listened to the conversation in front of him, finding it more interesting than he should have.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not knowing as to what he should use to refer to him now that there were two Mariks in the room. Ryou stepped closer towards them, parting from Bakura as he looked at Marik's eyes. They looked different from the ones that he used to control. "M-Marik," he whispered, referring to the lighter being of the two, "W-What are you doing with him, exactly?"

The tomb keeper simply grinned in amusement before running his tan hand in Ryou's long locks, "I brought the Items here, didn't I?" he stated, causing the boy to widen his eyes. _'H-He touched the Key...'_ he thought, now frightened as to what could possibly happen. He killed Marik's sister off and now, he had nothing to use against Marik. This simply made the boy even more curious than before. "T-Then why didn't you run to the pharaoh or something if you remember everything?" Marik looked at his other self before mimicking that smirk of his, "Simple. I want something here."

At Marik's confession, the thief king stepped forward, in front of Ryou and putting an arm out in front of him as if for protection. "Wonderful," he breathed. That dangerously crazy look had come over his face again; Bakura looked almost murderous right now. "Then since you've served your purpose and can decide what to do for yourself now, there's no reason to keep you around. You've been far too much trouble for us as it is." His grin expanded a bit and he took another step forward, at least until Marik's darkness stepped in from of his light counterpart in protection, imitating what Bakura himself had just done. "Sorry, Bakura, but I can't let you kill him. You see, he's not the only one that wants something here..." Bakura's eyes widened. He was beginning to see just what was going on - at least, he knew what the true Marik wanted. His gaze didn't move from them.

_Ryou,_ he started through the mind link, _The Millennium Items. We might need to find a new hiding place. Go check on them._ Now that he thought about it, nothing was safe here. And though he didn't think that the Items themselves were really in too much danger of being coveted by the two Egyptians in front of them, the thief wanted his Hikari out of the room for a moment. When he was gone, Bakura growled deeply. "I'm not going to let you simply take what you want," he hissed. "If either one of you lays a hand on him, you'll be met with an eternity of suffering."

Ryou was about to retort to what the other Marik said when the thief asked him to look after the Millennium Items. He looked at Bakura, somewhat hurt that he actually thought that it was better for the boy to run away instead of staying there- at least trying to help. His lips contorted into a small frown before nodding, scurrying up to his room in order to get the items that he needed. When he touched the Millennium Key, he got an idea. The Millennium Key was able to make someone invisible, right? He gripped on the Ankh-shaped item before it started glowing. Ryou's surroundings changed in color, causing Ryou to look around. It looked as if everything was frozen when in reality- he just could not be seen.

After stuffing the golden items in his messenger bag, he looked around to see what he could do to leave the house. He was thinking of ridiculous ways to get out- like going through the doggy door or just walking out. _'No, going near them is risky. They'd still notice me,'_ he thought. It was then when Ryou found the window. Heck, they did it in movies before so he was sure that he could survive it, right? Ryou lifted the lower half of the window before gulping. For a moment, he actually forgot that he was on the second floor. But Ryou was one damned lucky guy for there was a tree right next to the room. He took a deep breath before jumping towards the tree. The boy could not hold back the scream that was obviously heard by the three people in the house.

If only he was in a better position right now to collect his thoughts or something.

Ryou looked like he was going to fall any minute now, legs and arms gripping on a tree branch. He let his feet dangle before placing all of his weight on his arms, only to have the tree branch snap at his full weight. Another yelp and a soft thud when Ryou landed on another branch. He was happy to have this tree near his house after all! That is, until the branch snapped again but this time, he landed on his feet, causing him to blink once or twice. Some of the leaves were stuck on his hair right now, the Millennium Key falling with a soft thud.. He turned around, only to notice the three Egyptians there- staring at him.

The first shout Bakura heard from Ryou made him wonder just what was going on upstairs, but he soon got a pretty clear idea. When he saw exactly what had happened, the thief sighed. He was trying really hard not to laugh, but at the same time he was trying even harder not to look exasperated. It didn't exactly work, and ended up in one of the strangest facial expressions Bakura had ever pulled off (and that was saying a lot). He let Ryou go without saying a word, out loud or in his mind, because the thief was truly left speechless at what he had just seen. When the boy had gone, that was when Bakura's hand met his forehead. "Damn it, Ryou, what the hell were you thinking?" He mumbled to himself. He was still trying hard not to laugh.

_'So much for staying incognito,'_ he thought before turning away and dashing from the house. He had to go somewhere- anywhere to hide the items but from the looks of it, they were going to be hot of his trails soon, right? He cursed under his breath when he realized that this was his fault in the first place. He kept yelping and screaming due to the branch snapping and all that. He could hear Marik whispering to his darker half, and when said dark personality's expression changed to a very disturbing smirk, Bakura knew that something bad was about to happen. The Egyptian took his leave without saying a word. _Ryou, be careful; I think Marik's going to be following you. Just don't let your guard down._ He was genuinely concerned for the boy, not wanting him to get hurt again. If Marik was involved (...either of them, really - Bakura made a mental note to find different names for them), then Ryou getting hurt in some way or another was surely going to be the result. It had been so far, right?

Ryou was still looking behind him when he heard a loud horn towards his direction. He lifted his head only to see a speeding car…

* * *

Meanwhile, Marik's lips were contorted in a small smile at the skit he just saw. "Quite a handful, isn't he?" he whispered before looking at his darker counterpart, "You should locate as to where he's going to hide the items. Follow him. Don't worry, I can take care of Bakura," he stated before urging the other Egyptian to eventually leave. His eyes fell on the thief before smirking lightly. "You know what I want, Bakura. And I will not stop until I get what I want."

He glared at the blond that was still next to him. "Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you just take whatever you want. Unlike you, I care for my possessions." That uncanny look had come over his face again: Bakura was sneering, eyes narrowed and smirk so wide and smug that it showed his teeth. Any idiot would have recognized that this was a warning signal, and any sane person would have noticed that this look had passed 'warning' a long time ago. By now, it was just downright terrifying. He took a step forward, eyes never leaving Marik's.

Marik raised an eyebrow the moment he heard what the white-haired thief said about Ryou. "So you do think of him as a possession," he muttered with much disgust in his voice. It was obvious that the Egyptian was quite infatuated with the boy- possibly lusting for him if anything else- but Marik had a feeling that it was because he wanted to get something that Bakura had. Maybe it was a form of pay back for manipulating him or something, but Marik truly wanted to get something so precious to Bakura- it just turned out that Ryou was the one for the picking. It was quite obvious how much Ryou just meant to Bakura - even though the former is still quite oblivious of the latter's obvious addiction to him - and Marik knew that if he were to grab hold of Ryou's touch- of Ryou's love, then it would surely send the thief's rage in an all time high.

"I can make you stop," he breathed. Bakura's voice was low and dangerous, another warning sign. "Tell me, Marik, how are you going to protect yourself now that your other personality is gone? He's really the only thing that comes between you and your death, you know... regardless of whether he's inside or outside your mind." Bakura continued to advance on Marik. He desperately wished he had grabbed his knife before coming out here, but he would make do without it if he had to. He huffed before crossing his arms. "Even if you say that you would kill me, just one snap and Ryou's as good as dead," referring to the hold his darker counterpart had on the boy.

Before Bakura could even retort to what was being said, or take another step towards attacking Marik, he heard the doorbell go off. He wondered who would be looking for Ryou right now, because it sure as hell wasn't Ryou himself ringing his own doorbell. Immediately the thief knew to fall back and try to hide himself, and what better way to do that than to mimic the person that wasn't home right now? He had fooled those closest to Ryou before, so it wouldn't be a problem now.

When Marik opened it, his right eye twitched when he saw the group of four- no, five enter the room. The pharaoh looked as if he did not even want to be there, staying as far away from Bakura as possible while the others went in with big smiles and grins. "A-Anou... R-Ryou's in the living room," Marik stated, pointing at the thief king. He gave a pleased look to Marik (one of Ryou's expressions) when he saw the Egyptian try and tell him to act like Ryou. He was already one step ahead of him in that. He smiled at Ryou's friends, secretly hating that he had to act so civilly towards them. He had thought that, with his own body, he would be able to stop that altogether. Looks like he was wrong.

After preparing some sandwiches (and bringing out some creampuffs that Bakura PURPOSELY left for Ryou to have), the gang sat on the empty seats. Marik smiled before looking at the 'gentle' face that Bakura had. It was that angelic face that Ryou had with the same doe eyes that he was obsessed with. Marik placed an arm around him, pulling him closer before pressing his lips against his cheek. "I've been... taking care of him the whole day, if you know what I mean," he said with a playful wink.

"Hi, everyone!" He greeted, gesturing for them to sit down. He took his seat as well, not really caring what Marik was doing in the kitchen at the moment. At least until he brought out the sandwiches and Ryou's cream puffs, that is. Bakura almost scowled, but thankfully he was able to keep his composure. He knew he would have to eat one to keep up his act as Ryou, but they weren't his. Normally such a way of thinking wasn't like a thief, let alone the king of thieves, but the whole reason the creampuffs were even there was because Bakura had gotten them for Ryou.

Jounouchi's jaw dropped before clearing his throat. "First You and Bakura... Then, it's Yuugi and the pharaoh... HONDA! Don't you dare go after me!" the blonde exclaimed before engaging in a short fight with him. "Hey, Bakura! You haven't even touched your cream puff yet! You love those stuff don't you?" he asked, pressing the other duelist off of him. He had avoided one up until Honda had said something, but thinking quickly, the thief said, "Yes, I do... but I have a really bad stomach ache today. There's been a few unpleasant things I've had to face today and it's not doing me much good." He smiled at Marik at this, making it seem to Yuugi and his friends that he was grateful to have help, but the real meaning behind Bakura's words was more like a subtle jab at Marik. But, to keep up this little 'act' they had going, he shifted so that he was even closer to his 'lover', taking his hand and squeezing it - maybe bit too hard, but it wasn't something that anybody else would notice. Marik took a second glance at Bakura only to have his hand gripped too tight for his liking. Marik gripped back, suppressing that scowl from even spreading across his face. True, Bakura looked like his fantasy but at the same time, the aura around the boy was just wrong- too wrong for his liking. He hated even acting this close to Bakura in the first place- given that he was about to chop the thief's head off if the group did not enter the house.

Yuugi's head tilted to the side curiously. _That's weird,_ he thought. _Bakura-kun is acting kind of strangely... and he's still with Marik? But I thought..._ He frowned a bit, glancing at his other self. "Bakura-kun isn't even with Mariku..." He muttered under his breath, but managed to stop himself. He hoped nobody else heard him, but he didn't miss the look that the Ring's owner gave him just now. He looked surprised, almost afraid, something that was just all too common on Ryou's face. kissing Bakura's ear as Marik attempted to hold back his urge to hit himself for acting this way in the first place. "Is this not the look of a young couple, Yuugi-kun?" he cooed, giving the thief a slight lick. The group of five (save for the two puzzle keepers) suddenly looked away from the sweet couple long enough to hide their flushed figures.

Yuugi coughed a bit and looked around, hoping that the subject would change soon. Thankfully, Bakura managed to do it quite well. "So, what are you all doing here anyway? I appreciate the visit, but don't you have class right now?"

Marik pulled Bakura even closer, pressing his lips against the thief's ear before looking at Yuugi. "We got worried, 'Kura!" he exclaimed, biting the corner piece of his third sandwich. "You're not one to suddenly cut class and all that. You always have your nose in the books! We were concerned, is all," he stated, shrugging. Bakura forced a smile. He hated what Marik was doing to him, especially since he was playing two different roles now in all the wrong ways. Being the one to kiss and lick at 'Ryou', playing dominant, then doing something as silly and submissive as to nuzzle against him! Luckily it didn't affect Bakura in the same way it would have if his Yadonushi had been holding him like this. And the question posed by Jounouchi was enough to distract him from this uncomfortable feeling, but it also raised a different sort of discomfort. Maybe Ryou's friends did care something for him, after all. But he didn't need to tell Ryou that... it would only make him second-guess himself, and that simply wouldn't do.

Jounouchi frowned, "Psst. Hey Bakura? Is the Spirit of the Ring bothering you or something?" he whispered before grinning sheepishly. "Oh! Th-thank you for your concern, then, Jounouchi-kun," He exclaimed. The thief made an effort to look surprised at the next question. Ryou wasn't even supposed to know about the Spirit, was he? Or had Yuugi told them that he remembered something? It was probably best to play along and just insist that nothing was bothering him - Ryou, that is - seeing as the last thing the Spirit of the Ring was doing was bothering his host. No, Ryou didn't seem to mind being 'bothered' at all.

Marik continued nuzzling him, burying his face on the crook of the thief's neck- something that he saw Ryou did to the thief king. Maybe it would look more believable to them if he actually acted like how Bakura's lover would actually act like. He could not help but purr, recognizing the scent that was attached to Bakura as of the moment. It was the scent that he got from Ryou when the boy held him near before they left for Egypt. "You need not worry about those things anymore. The thief king was banished to the shadow realm... By me," he stated- accomplishing two things at the same time.

He didn't get a chance to say anything before Marik chipped in. He looked away, and, still playing his part to the best of his ability (so almost flawlessly, really), said, "Yes... you may be able to send him away, Mariku, but... the Shadow Realm has never held him for long. He'll come back." It was a counter-threat, and quite obvious, too. This may have alarmed Ryou's friends, but Yuugi already knew the truth and the others didn't care enough anyway. They knew that Marik could possibly have a handle on things by staying so close to their friend, and if he couldn't do anything, then the Pharaoh certainly could.

"Even if he returns a million times, I will still protect you and have you in my arms," he cooed, making sure that the thief king got what he was trying to say. Honda could not help but clear his throat, feeling uneasy about seeing his friends doing these things in front of him. "Man, Marik. You really can't keep your hands off of Bakura, can you?" he stated before laughing. Marik took this time to look at him before smirking even more, "But of course. Without a doubt I am taken very much by him and I know that I will be able to keep him by my side." By now, the thief and the tomb keeper were exchanging really tight squeezes on each other's hands. It was quite obvious that Marik was threatening the very existence of the Ring Keepers' relationship. From the looks of it, Bakura was not taking this exchange lightly.

First, the Egyptian managed to fool the group- or at least it looked like he did. The pharaoh furrowed his eyebrows before pulling Yuugi to his lap, his arms wrapped around him protectively. His lips were pressed against the back of Yuugi's neck as he glared at the white-haired thief. _'Bakura's not gone. I should know.'_ Still completely unaware of what was going on before him (namely the King of Thieves playing a subtle game with Marik), Yuugi leaned back into the Pharaoh's touch. _I know he's not gone,_ Yuugi agreed._ We saw him just this morning... so why is Mariku lying about this? Unless he did manage to send the other Bakura away... but I don't think that's possible for him right now._Something was definitely going on here, but whatever it was, Yuugi just could not figure it out. There were too many strange happenings all occurring at once, making it impossible to point out one single thing or bring them all together in his mind.

The pharaoh's arms pulled the boy closer, planting soft kisses on the boy's neck. He was doing such acts mostly because he felt too nervous in this house. Something was just off about the situation and he could only assume that it was because of the Spirit of the Ring. "We should go off soon. Yuugi and I still have to watch over the Game Shop," he stated before standing up and bringing the boy in his arms closer (if that was actually possible). The group of three then proceeded to stating that they should go with the Puzzle Keepers in order to keep them company and. Soon enough, they started filing out of the house as the lovely couple bade their farewell to them.

There was something definitely different about the Ryou in their presence right now. Before Atem left, he managed to look back at the white-haired boy, finally noticing that tiny glint of mischief in his eyes. _'That's the Spirit of the Ring, Yuugi- not your friend,'_he stated before close his eyes. How could he not notice that Bakura's eyes were still deep red in shade?

Yuugi's eyes widened. He never would have guessed himself that he wasn't talking to Ryou, but now that it had been pointed out, that must have been what had seemed off to him. Now he felt terrible for not realizing it sooner - and come to think of it, there was that air of irritation around the Spirit of the Ring, meaning that his Yami was right and it would be a good idea to get out of there. He looked shocked even as they left the house, and only after they had parted ways from the rest of their friends did Yuugi finally say something. "But he looked different this morning!" He cried. The poor boy was seriously disturbed by this now. Who knows what could have happened? Had Marik helped them by holding the thief king back, or was it only a matter of time before both of them did something? He clutched tightly to his other self and buried his face in Atem's chest. "I... I can't believe I didn't realize sooner...! B-but wait, where's the real Bakura-kun, then?"


	39. Yadonushi

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Apologies for uploading at a random hour and at a random time. I actually had this chapter ready a few days after Christmas but I haven't had the inspiration to fix it. Then, school started and I've been smothered by a hell lot of work that I haven't even replied to Chiba-kun yet.

Thank you for the condolences, my dear readers. It means a lot to me. :)

I don't think there's much to say. I hope that you enjoy this Chapter. Please review!

_If we were Kazuki Takahashi, we would own YGO. Last time I checked we were female and non-Japanese folk. So yeah, do the math._

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**Chapter 39:** Yadonushi.

When Kaiba saw who they had almost hit when driving, he had prompted his driver to stop. Why on earth was Ryou running around like this when he should have been at school? Seto himself was only not in class because he had an important meeting today for his company and couldn't miss it. He had similar meetings the rest of the week as well, and was just on his way back to another meeting after having picked something up. He got out of the car and gave Ryou a strange look. "What do you think you're doing, Bakura?" He asked. Really, he could have scolded his classmate about not being in school, or even worse, for just running in the street without making sure something was coming to hit him, but that wasn't really in Kaiba's interests right now. No, he was more curious as to where the boy was going.

Ryou tried his best to grip on what was left of his sensible side. His heart was still pounding after all. He frowned, looking at the young CEO. "M-Museum," he stated, not having anything else to say. The driver of the car scratched his head, "Weren't we just going to the museum sir? For the yearly donation?" he asked remembering the man's schedule by heart. The white-haired boy looked up, hopeful, "M-May I please go with you?" he asked, biting his lower lip. Even before Kaiba could respond, the chauffeur urged for Ryou and Kaiba to get back in the car, muttering something about getting behind schedule.

The boy fidgeted in his seat, particularly because he accidentally chose a seat right next to where Kaiba was sitting. Ryou looked around, trying to find a place of where he could move to but unfortunately for him, stacks of paper greeted him from left to right. The stretch limo did not even look that big anymore, considering that most of the passenger's seats were occupied by papers or boxes. Ryou looked at Kaiba before trying to lay his gaze on something else. Kaiba seemed to not really pay attention to Ryou after he got into the car, intending to get to the museum, do what he had to, and get out. He was just doing the kid a favor by giving him a ride there. "Why are you going to the museum anyway?" He asked. In a way he was curious, but he just wanted to know why Ryou wasn't in school. He wasn't normally the type to skip out.

The white haired boy did not want to answer that question but he felt the need to do so. Ryou _really _did not want to see Kaiba anymore- considering that little event in the conference room. "I-I'm sorry... That thing that happened in the conference room… I was sick with the f-flu and I wasn't thinking clearly," he looked away. He sighed again, thinking about what Ryou said. True, he had been a bit unnerved when the boy had passed out in his office, but he had mostly gotten over that and nobody knew how he had truly felt about it. "I don't need to hear your apology if it wasn't your fault," he snapped. Yes, he sounded more irritated than he really was, but when was Seto Kaiba not like that?

They pulled in at the museum shortly after Kaiba spoke, him getting out of the car and waiting for Ryou to do the same. He told the driver that he wouldn't be long. He looked around, noticing that the place was empty- most likely because Ishizu was not there to open up the museum. Ryou looked around before urging the CEO towards the office as well. "I need to fix some stuff for the display," he stated seemingly out of the blue, "T-That's the reason why I'm here."

Kaiba looked at him. "Do you know the person I'm supposed to see about this donation?" He asked. He knew Ryou had some sort of connections with the museum, though he wasn't entirely sure what those connections were, and any means of establishing some kind of familiarity would be helpful. Kaiba wasn't a regular visitor of this place, after all, and didn't think he had even been here once since Ishizu had shown him the relics from Egypt that had been on display. He looked at him before a blush crept up on his face. He pointed to himself, "I-I guess it would be me. My father owns this museum after all," he stated.

Suddenly, the power went out, causing Ryou's eyes to widen. The boy hated dark places. For some weird reason, he found himself burying his face on Seto's chest. "I-I..." he stuttered. His body was shaking; obviously frightened. Manic laughter enveloped the room, causing the boy to look up. "M-Mariku." Before Kaiba could even properly react, there was somebody there trying to wrench him away from where he was. For a moment, he was powerless to do anything, and when he heard Ryou's voice, began to panic. Kaiba was completely disoriented; there was something strange about this darkness, how it had suddenly appeared, but before he could dwell on it he lost consciousness completely.

Marik was then there, right in front of Ryou, putting an arm around his waist and clenching onto the boy's shirt tightly. In his other hand he held the Millennium Rod, having grabbed it when the lights went out. He had seen where the bag landed and had managed to take it during the initial moments of confusion that both Seto and Ryou had suffered through. He laughed darkly and leered down at Ryou. "Yes, Yadonushi?" He hissed. This was all far too amusing. _Hey, Dominant personality,_ he thought, trying to contact his other self. He wasn't sure if it would work but it seemed likely that it would. _I found your little toy._ _We're at the museum. I even managed to pick up another friend for you. I wouldn't mind having a bit of fun with this one, myself..._

He laughed again, looking over at the body of Seto Kaiba. The memories of Seth being possessed by Zorc were resurfacing in his mind, but he knew this was an entirely different person. This man would be more fun to break... he had a strong will, and a good sense of self. It was something Marik would have loved to take in his hands and crush into a thousand little pieces.

The tomb keeper was truly the reason for everything- the sudden blackout as well as the sudden loss of consciousness of the young CEO. He frantically tried to speak to the tomb robber only to find his efforts futile. Their link was off- dead and this only increased Ryou's worries even more. He hated it whenever he lost any form of contact with his darker counterpart and now that his life was on the hands of a psychopath, he was truly scared. "M-Mariku... W-Why are you doing this?" he asked before closing his eyes. Suddenly, Kaiba stood up again and when Ryou was about to talk to him, he found out that the businessman was under the control of the Millennium Rod. While Marik was busy with Kaiba, he took this opportunity to run to the items and clutch the bag.

He placed the Millennium Ring on, trying his best to contact the thief king but to no avail. The Millennium Ring glowed before he let out a short yelp as he felt something enter his soul. He wondered for a moment if it was Bakura reuniting with him or something but all of his queries were answered the moment he heard manic laughter in his head. He shifted, trying to figure out if the Rod Keeper heard it too but it seems that only Ryou could hear these voices. "Did you miss me, Yadonushi?" the dark lord cooed in his head. Before he could even retort to that, the not-Kaiba walked towards him and gripped on his hand hard, pulling him and escorting Marik to the car. Moments later, they were already outside of the Bakura residence with the not-Kaiba opening the unlocked door of the house. Ryou's gaze met with Bakura's a bit before he looked away, feeling as though he completely failed his Yami by losing the Millennium Rod to Marik.

In truth, though, he was not really as bothered with it as the feeling of having the voice inside his head. "And this time, you can never escape me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Bakura had immediately dropped the facade and was now openly snarling at Marik. In a way, it was much like when they had worked together for the first time, with them constantly arguing and fighting over trivial things, only this time what was at risk here was not exactly trivial for either of them. Bakura was showing a side of himself that Ryou didn't often get to see because of this; his bad attitudes tended to really only come out when the boy wasn't around, whether by Bakura's doing or not, but it wasn't even something he did consciously. Ryou was, in a sense, one of the few things that kept Bakura calm enough to deal with things properly. It was only when he found something he desperately wanted (such as taking the Pharaoh's Puzzle from him, or presently, to take Marik's life) that he broke out like this.

In the mean time, Marik stayed as far away as possible from Bakura, rolling his eyes. "I still do wonder as to where Ryou gets his skills- 'cause it sure did not come from you," he stated while cleaning the plates out of the living room. _'That is good news. Bring him here, will you?'_ he said in reply to his other half. 'Skills?' I only wish I knew what you were talking about, seeing as I don't recall him ever showing you any of his real skills. Unless you happen to be a bit of a voyeur?" Marik could only laugh in response.

"Looks like the game is over for the little Yadonushi," he muttered before laughing once more, "Don't even bother trying to talk to Ryou for the other Marik already has him under control." He lunged at Marik at the blonde's next words, actually knocking him over and causing them to tumble a little bit. It was clumsy enough that Bakura ended up hitting himself a bit too, but most of the damage was done to Marik - the bump he heard when Marik's head hit the floor actually satisfied Bakura, but not quite enough. Hands came around the Egyptian's neck and nails dug into the skin as he squeezed, trying to cut off the other's air supply. "That's the biggest mistake you've made yet, Marik," he hissed. That look of insanity was back in Bakura's expression, showing most clearly in his narrowed eyes. "Do you honestly trust your other self with him? If it's Ryou you want, then you just handed him over to the worst person possible. I guess you're not aware of what he did to Ryou, are you?" Bakura laughed hysterically, squeezing harder on Marik's neck now and slamming him down into the floor again. "Pity that you're not going to find out now, isn't it?"

The next thing he knew, just before he could actually snuff out Marik's life, he felt himself getting torn away from the body below him. Bakura's nails had been in so deep that the sheer force of him being pulled off of Marik caused a few scary lines of blood to appear on the Egyptian's neck - scratch marks. He looked up wildly at the figure that had pulled him away, meeting, of course, the calm yet angered expression of the darker Marik. Bakura growled, and without missing a beat began to try and continue choking Marik, but he was instantly thrown back against the wall by some strange force. It was very apparent a second later when Bakura got a better grip on the situation that Marik's dark side had used the Millennium Rod to force him away from his dominant personality. "Y-You...!" Bakura snarled, fighting against the Shadow Magic holding him in place. He was soon dropped to the ground, the magic constricting on him and making him cry out in utmost pain. Marik stepped forward and knelt down to the thief's level, sneering cruelly. "Don't touch him, thief," he hissed, totally inaudible to all but the man he was speaking to. "You're going to suffer the punishment for this in one way or another. What you're feeling now is just the beginning."

Bakura let out a small, choked, noise of pain, looking up at Ryou from beneath his eyelids. It was obvious how much he was hurting, but that wasn't the only pain his eyes showed. He couldn't say anything, couldn't even contact his Yadonushi through the mind link... and really, that was all he wanted at the moment. He didn't even notice that Seto Kaiba was in the room, but he did notice something strange about Ryou. His aura seemed different, darker than before, but it wasn't Ryou himself... it was something else. But in his current state, he just couldn't tell what that was.

Marik coughed out the moment he was let go only to stand next his other self. "Relax, Bakura-sama," he said, mocking the term Ryou kept using. The white-haired boy did not even focus on the two dangerous Egyptians looming near Bakura but instead, he walked towards him as if they were the only two people in the house. He took the Ring off before draping said ornament on the thief's neck.

A chuckle in Ryou's mind was heard, "Too bad you were the first one to put the ring on, Yadonushi. I would have preferred Akefia but your body is truly a good host."

Ryou flinched before caressing the thief's cheek. He tilted the other's chin before offering a small smile, "Hey. Are you alright?" he said, more of as an attempt to calm him down. He could feel the energy within his thief grow immensely due to the Millennium Ring. Ah yes, the Ring was back to its original owner. Slowly, Bakura raised his hand to come and grip Ryou's wrist. It was obvious he was still struggling against the restraint of the shadow magic, but at least now he could move a little bit. He forced a grin, which only ended up looking like a pained smirk. He still couldn't properly speak, but at least now he could kind of portray that he would be all right. But he was still worried, because the dark aura around Ryou was slowly becoming more familiar. But he had no proof that it was really what he thought it was - not yet, anyway.

The Egyptian raised an eyebrow at this before he grabbed Ryou's wrist and pulling him next to him. The boy let out a small yelp and a frustrated growl the moment he felt Marik's tongue graze his neck. He tried to resist the advances of the tomb keeper but the other Marik's control of the Millennium Rod prevented him from doing so. "When I said skills, Bakura-sama, I was actually talking about your ability to fool Yuugi and the others. But it seems that I will now learn the other skills that you were talking about," the Egyptian said while leaving a slight bruise on the boy's pale neck.

"I can help you if you want but then again, I don't offer my services for free," the voice taunting the poor boy's mind. He let out another yelp when his shirt was torn from his body, Marik's hands all over his chest. His pale skin told of what the two Ring Keepers were doing this morning, finding a bite at every exposed skin imaginable. Ryou's hands were immediately laced around Marik's neck against his will, making him whimper slightly. "K... K..." he called out to the almost recharged thief. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the thief finally does something in order to help him out of this sticky situation. Marik could only grin before biting his neck again, "It's useless to try and contact him, Ryou. You can deal with him as you please." The last sentence that he said was directed at his other personality, the tomb keeper still staying in the living room as he eyed the King of Thieves.

When Ryou was pulled away from him by Marik and forced to experience the tomb keeper's desires that was when the thief snapped again. How many times had he seen this happening now? It seemed as if someone was always doing something to Ryou in front of him, and it drove him insane in more than one way. Of course it threw him into a jealous fit, but that wasn't all of it at all. Trying to push these things out of his mind, the thief began to use the power of the Millennium Ring to stop some of what was going on before him. The Ring began to glow violently and soon he was standing up. Marik's darkness, which had been advancing towards him with the obvious intent to do something unpleasant, was frozen in place. For the time being, they had reached a stalemate, but at least now Bakura wasn't entirely paralyzed. He couldn't, however, divert his energy into stopping both of them. The Rod's powers were weakened somewhat on both Bakura and Ryou, but not enough that either of them could completely overpower the magic holding them in place. The Egyptian was focusing on holding both of them back, whereas Bakura was trying to hold back the one that could force Ryou to comply with what Marik wanted.

"We're even, Marik," Bakura hissed. It was kind of unclear which one he was talking to, but for the time being he meant both of them. "You know what I want. Let Ryou go and stop trying to hold me back. If you don't comply, then both of you are going to pay the price." He didn't specify what that price was, but the way the Millennium Ring was still glowing implied it quite clearly. He wasn't planning on killing them or even sending them to the Shadow Realm; no, Bakura was much more interested in a similar punishment to what he had used when he had first taken up residence in Ryou's body: namely, sealing their souls into an object - perhaps a figurine - and letting them stay there, conscious, but not ever able to speak or move. It was one of the worst tortures he could think of for them, considering that if they went to the Shadow Realm there was no guarantee they wouldn't end up coming back. That had happened more than once already, after all.

Marik looked at his light counterpart as if waiting to hear his commands. He knew what he wanted to do, but at the moment it was in his best interests to listen to his other self. There would be plenty of time later to cause the kind of trouble he wanted, and besides, a part of him was interested in learning the kind of methods his lighter half was capable of using to get what he wanted from Ryou. He couldn't ever recall a time when said personality had done something like this, but he might just not be thinking hard enough. Sure, Marik was manipulative on his own, but not necessarily in this way.

"Well? What will it be?" Bakura asked, obviously growing impatient with the lack of action. He gave Ryou a meaningful look, silently promising the boy that he would get him out of this soon.

He hated it. His cheeks were deep red in shade as he tried his best to push him back but to no avail. He hated being powerless. He loathed enjoying the feeling of the Egyptian's hands as it would run against his side. But the moment Marik's hands grazed the five deep wounds on his chest, something within Ryou snapped. Not even other-Marik touched him there in the two moments they shared. No, only Bakura touched those wounds- the wounds that would permanently mark him as Bakura's possession. His hand trailed on his own wrist, feeling the other wound there. Each wound that he had told a different story of defiance that occurred between the two Ring-keepers and having Marik touch his markings truly set him off in a fit. The dark lord; however, was simply enjoying himself in the shadows as he watched the helpless boy do his best to stay out of Marik's grasp but to no avail. He could easily stop things from happening but then again, Ryou was not asking for his help now, was he?

"In one snap, I can easily help you, Yadonushi. I can even give you a discount because I will enjoy my judgment on the stupid tomb keeper but I am still unwilling to work for free," the dark lord stated in that gruff voice of his. His gaze met with Bakura's and just like that, Ryou felt as if he should do something as well. By giving Bakura the Ring, he was asking the thief to protect him again. In truth, he felt like a hypocrite for snapping at Bakura for protecting him all the time and yet here he was, putting the burden on him again. A tear escaped his eye as he kept staring at Bakura, a strangled groan escaping from his lips. He hated himself for changing so much. No, he was not the innocent boy that he was when he first got the Millennium Ring. He was not Bakura's light anymore. Just realizing that truly made his heart turn in absolute irritation at himself. Bakura was not using him- he was using Bakura as his shield. He whimpered before biting his lower lip, a mark reappearing on his neck again. It was the same mark of ownership that Zorc placed on him.

_'I accept your offer,'_ his voice echoed inside his head and possibly through the suddenly re-established mind link between him and Bakura. The dark lord's smirk simply grew as he touched the boy's mark, "Call my name." Ryou tried to rid himself of the lump that was forming in his throat. He found it next to impossible to speak- considering that he was making gurgling sounds to call the dark lord's name. When he felt the power of the Rod on him weaken (as it focused more on the threatening thief), Ryou took this opportunity to grant the only side of the bargain that he was supposed to do.

"Z-Zo… Zorc-sama!"

Bakura could safely say he had no idea what was going on when Ryou began to try and speak, having heard in his head that Ryou accepted some sort of offer, but he didn't know what that was. He could feel the dark aura around him increase, but it didn't seem to be doing anything... at least until he said the name of the dark god. Bakura's eyes widened and he tried to shout for him not to say it, but the Millennium Rod's powers had shifted so that it was preventing him from speaking again. He could only scream Ryou's name in his mind as he watched the boy slump over and start to laugh. But it wasn't an ordinary laugh; no, for a moment it sounded like Bakura's before it shifted into something else entirely. It was when Ryou effectively threw Marik off of him and quite possibly cracked the Egyptian's skull right open that the thief knew that something was going to end up going horribly, horribly wrong, and yet it was only after he met the gaze of the dark lord that he realized it wasn't actually Ryou doing these things anymore. At the very least he had assumed that the dark lord had imbued some power within the boy, but this may have been just a tad of denial on Bakura's part.

The laughter echoed in the house as it grew more manic at every passing second. When he opened his eyes again, brown eyes no longer fixated on the thief's crimson gaze. Instead, the thief's meaningful look met with the dark lord's deep argent eyes. At that same moment, the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Ring lost their powers as it stopped glowing.

'Ryou' walked towards the other Marik before gripping on his hand hard. Even though Ryou would not normally grip this hard on anyone's wrist, the evil lord managed to grip it rather hard, digging his nails against his wrist before yanking him down. When his hand was roughly grabbed like that, Marik's eyes widened, but he looked actually excited with the prospect of being hurt by the evil god possessing Ryou's body. Of course, he was a bit irritated that the message seemed to be directed more at Bakura than him. Stupid thief, always getting in the way of his pleasure! But he took what he could get. His hot breath tickled the not-Marik's ear before whispering in that deep voice of his, "You have angered me so, Marik. I am the worst god to double-cross," he whispered although he was looking at Bakura at the same time. From the looks of it, Zorc was also imparting the same message to the King of Thieves. "Is that so?" He asked, knowing in the back of his mind that the dark god wasn't listening. Marik still had absolutely no intention of following this god, even with the warning he was getting now. But if it meant he got to watch the thief king suffer a little more, then that was fine too. He could always have his fun after Zorc had finished, after all. There was no way the dark god would kill off his favorite pawn for as small an offence as Bakura had committed. It wasn't as if the thief had done any harm to him. That was the exact mindset Bakura had when the dark lord advanced on him.

He pushed Marik back but not enough to do to him what he did to the not-Marik's lighter half. He walked towards the thief before holding the Millennium Ring, yanking it off of him. "I gave you your power- your status as the King of Thieves and you repay me with disloyalty. You are nothing but a worthless snake that should simply die right here and now," he scoffed before shaking his head. "But it looks like this body is so unwilling to hurt you in any way. It does not matter though for you are still the same pathetic Akefia I found in Kul Elna. You are still unable to protect what you want- you are still worthless, Akefia."

True to his defiant personality, Bakura grit his teeth and scowled when Zorc began to speak with him. He was smart enough not to do anything else that might put him in danger for the time being, even though his mind was reeling with thoughts of how what Zorc was claiming was false. Yes, he had given the thief king power, but only after he had first stolen the Millennium Ring. Bakura had grown strong on his own, but had only gained the benefit of dark magic after using the Millennium Ring. He had earned his own status, not had it bestowed upon him. Really, Bakura owed nothing to the dark god, but in using the power he was given had fallen too far to escape said god's influence. In a way, he had chosen to be loyal to the dark entity, but at the same time he had been manipulated into it.

He placed his hand at the back of the thief's head before gripping as tight as he could, "I will have you pay for what you did to me, Akefia. I may not hurt you but I can hurt the next best thing... My new Yadonushi," he whispered before grinning, "And as always, you cannot do anything about it, you pathetic 'King of Thieves'."

In truth, at the whispered threats he was getting, the king of thieves felt a strange fear rising up in him. He had only ever truly been afraid in his life once before, when the Pharaoh's soldiers had stormed his village and begun to slaughter them one by one until he was the only one left. He had feared for his own life then, and now... he wasn't sure what this fear was coming from. It was caused by Zorc, of course, but what was he really afraid of? The thief's eyes narrowed and he began to growl again, not showing any of the fear he was feeling in any way whatsoever. In fact, he seemed more angry and defiant than anything else, because truly those feelings were overwhelming the fear. "That's _not_-" he snarled, keeping an even glare at the dark god. "-my name."

He smirked a bit, but it turned out more like a half-amused grimace. "Are you expecting me to beg for you not to hurt him?" Bakura hissed. Oddly enough, Zorc's threat greatly amused the king of thieves, if only because he knew what it would end up being a hollow threat. He had a vague plan in his mind, but with every passing second it became more clear to him how it would work out, and though he didn't think it would work out perfectly, it was still worth a shot. What else could he do? "I'm not going to beg. You know that hurting him would put you in danger as well." Yes, he was attempting to use a similar tactic as before only now he wasn't actively doing something to ensure the dark lord was at his mercy. Zorc had actually walked into this one on his own, and he could likely get out of it more easily. And yet this was exactly what Bakura wanted: he was trying to force Zorc not to hurt Ryou, possibly get him out of the boy, but what would happen next was the risky part. He did not know what might come of this little exchange. "It takes time to get a host to comply with your wishes, as I'm sure you know. But if you damage it too much - force it into something or harm it in any way - then there are heavy consequences. Why do you think I never put any real harm to my host? It would hinder my plans - our plans - far too much." He lowered his head, watching Zorc carefully for any hint of a reaction. What he said was the truth: that was the reason Bakura had never hurt Ryou while they shared a body. He only hoped that he had said the right thing for now... but it wasn't likely that he was going to get out of this quite so easily.

It was odd how the entity would simply look at Bakura with a blank expression like that. In truth, he looked utterly petrifying as he acted as if he was hearing nothing. He could not help but shake his head before grinning. "It's funny how a person's life can be so... fragile," he stated before walking next to the other Marik. Running his hand through the platinum blonde hair, he wrapped his arms around the tomb keeper while looking very amused. "I still have not lost trust in his potential though," he whispered, his finger grazing against the not-Marik's chin. Zorc could feel Ryou's heart wrench every time he would move closer towards Marik. "I wonder as to how long he can stay sane this time? Not for long, I suppose," he muttered, still making no sense at all. Deep inside, Ryou was feeling different- as if something inside him was changing slowly but surely. The white-haired boy was scared and what frightened him more was the fact that he brought it upon himself this time.

He was losing his trust on this relationship- losing trust on himself and on his ability to stay with Bakura. Ryou depended on him for mostly anything and he hated himself for imposing too much on Bakura. This growing darkness fed the dark god's powers, making him grin with excitement. The dark lord's nails would dig in deeply on the Egyptian's arm before scarring it lightly. "I have taken my payment from the boy, Bakura, and let me just say," he stopped momentarily, "I wonder if he can truly handle the payment that I have taken from him but you said it yourself, thief. This boy can handle his pain quite nicely." The dark lord nuzzled in the other Marik's neck before grinning against it. "You have scarred this boy permanently, Marik. I applaud you for that," he murmured before sinking in his sharp incisors against the dark being. It was due to the force of the bite and at the same time, the mixture of the dark energy that he was emitting that caused the Egyptian to bleed from the bite.

Bakura could only watch and listen as Zorc spoke to him. Truly, the thief had no idea what was going on now, but judging simply by the way he was talking, what was about to happen could not be good in any way whatsoever. But the way that he was treating Marik... that was really what threw him off. The Egyptian was grinning, and when 'Ryou' bit down on him, Marik's eyes widened gleefully and he began to laugh in pleasure. It wasn't even that he realized what was going on, but the sheer pain he felt rushing through his body at the way the dark god was treating him made delicious shivers shoot down the dark entity's spine. If only Bakura knew what exactly the dark lord was doing to his host right now, he would have done whatever he could to stop it.

"Truly interesting indeed how this boy's so broken inside, Bakura," he muttered before kicking the dark being to the side. This was when the being started to laugh in a manic way once more, causing Ryou to flinch within his soul room. He looked up, only to notice that the room looked as if it was going to crumble anytime soon. The cuts on his 'body' were evident and the scent of blood was thick in the air. _'B-Baku...'_ he stuttered in his mind, unknowingly sending the message to the thief king. The boy was shaking, truly scared with what the dark lord will take from him. He did not know as to what he will take from him- or if he has taken it already- but whatever it was, he hoped that it was not something similar to losing Bakura. Ryou's sole thought traveled into his darkness's mind, but the quietness of it and the way it sounded just so strangely broken alarmed the thief. His eyes widened, a mantra of the boy's name repeating in his mind, growing more frenzied and panicked as time wore on. He didn't even know if the boy could hear him at this point. _Ryou, you idiot! What were you thinking? Just wait, we'll get you out of this... damn it, Ryou!_

"I'm not one to leave my apples all in one basket. My soul is sealed in each of the seven Millennium Items..." he muttered, referring to the so-called threat the thief imparted on him. Even if Ryou was to die as of this very moment, his soul will still live on through the items themselves, "And a certain pharaoh for that matter."

The Millennium Ring glowed in Zorc's hands as he sealed part of the young boy's soul in it- possibly as an added bonus from what his loan from the boy, shrugging lightly. "I was not lying to Ryou when I said that his soul was not qualified to be sealed inside the Millennium Ring. He was too innocent to be sealed in an item created through hatred and the lust for power... But not anymore. The balance of this world relies on the only three beings that are considered as lights. Marik, obviously, gave up his light a long time ago. I have taken Ryou's flickering light as a form of payment. All that's left is for me to take Yuugi's and my plan will be complete."

It was quite plain to see that Bakura was growing more and more worried by the minute, but he still couldn't do anything about it. This feeling of helplessness was becoming more and more familiar, it seemed, and the thief absolutely hated it. But what could he do? It wasn't as if he could stop the god of darkness from what he was currently doing. Not like this, anyway... He was practically paralyzed.

When the Ring was draped over his neck, Bakura's eyes widened. For whatever reason, this completely terrified him. Even though he could feel what was going on and knew that Ryou's soul was once again able to be sealed in the Item, the way that the dark lord spoke about it seemed ominous and foreboding. It filled Bakura with dread, but again, he still couldn't do anything about it.

With that said, the dark lord kept on laughing even more sinister- more amused than ever. "Tell you what. Let's play a little game. If you find him in time, then I will cease to cause destruction in your life…" A chuckle echoed in the living room. "I wonder if you can find it in time." He only seemed to regain control of himself when he realized that Ryou's body was slowly disappearing right before his eyes. "Wait!" He called out, even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer and trying to get him to stop was going to be futile. "What do you mean, 'find him'? What are you-" But it was too late; 'Ryou' was gone.

For a moment, it seemed as if time itself had stopped. The thief felt cold, frozen, until he heard a voice. It was strange; not quite in his mind, but it definitely wasn't spoken out loud. _'Am I... dead?'_ the voice said. He moved his eyes around, trying to find the source of the voice when he felt something wrap around him, like arms. He looked down: what he saw was faint and ghostly, cold to the touch and yet it filled him with warmth. Then all too suddenly Ryou was in front of him, kissing him, but not quite. Bakura's eyes widened even more (which, strangely, made him look kind of like Ryou normally did, only much more horrified); he tried to grab Ryou, but found that his hands went right through the boy. Involuntarily, he took a step back and touched the Millennium Ring, already having realized just what the situation was.

Ryou was the Spirit of the Ring and Bakura was the host.


	40. Zorc's First Move

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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It's been a while, hasn't it? And I'm updating at a rather peculiar time too. It's a few hours after lunch and I'm waiting for this meeting to start in a few minutes. I was going to delay posting this chapter but I thought against it. Now, this is the chapter that does not include our little tendershipping duo, simply because I want to defer that to next week, Valentine's Day I hope. So meanwhile, you have what's happening to the bronzeshipping and puzzleshipping couples. Also, we're going to learn where Ryou's body transported to!

Expect that the chapter this would be long. The last time I checked, the raw file is about 10K words long! And it's filled with tendershipping fluff/angst/smut moments. It's a rather long scene, yes. I'll try to reduce it a little bit but it's one of my most favorite moments in this story. So we'll see if I can have it up by next week. :3

On a slightly unrelated note, did any of you notice that _Tender Loving Care_ has deleted her account? I almost cried when I saw that her stories were taken down. Does anyone know where she is and why she deleted her wonderful stories? /Wants to read _Haunted_ and _Haunted II _ all of a sudden. Any help would be much appreciated. :D

And if you think that we can't fuck up the perfect Puzzleshipping duo, you'll just have to see how we do it. ;3

**Chapter Warnings:** Implied!Sex, Slight!Non-Con Stuff

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**Chapter 40:** Zorc's First Move.

Marik looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Unlike the other two beings of light, he did not reside in a different soul room from the other Marik. Instead, he found himself and his darker counterpart in a chamber. The room itself was dimly lit by a single incandescent lamp that flickered from time to time. Cold railings were found around them- making it look like they were imprisoned in their own souls. He noticed that the other Marik was shackled against the wall and a knife was beside him, causing the dominant personality to tilt his head. This was the first time that their souls mingled like this. Gulping, he walked towards the male that was somewhat suspended by the shackles. Marik knew that once the shackles came off, the other Marik would immediately collapse. Brushing some stray hair from his eyes, he lifted his younger personality's chin up to get a good look at him. His light lavender eyes flicked with such sadness as he looked at the fallen dark personality. "Wake up. Y-You haven't even told me what I can call you. You can't leave me now. You're the only one I have," remembering that this other Marik was the only one there when he was young.

Marik's darkness looked up into his dominant personality's eyes with a menacing expression. He was clearly not amused with the situation he was in, which was actually rather odd considering he normally liked this kind of thing. "Dominant personality..." he started. The dark being's voice was rough and raspy, like he hadn't spoken in ages or as if he had shouted until his throat became dry and raw. He laughed bitterly and shook his head. "So... fickle..."

His body shook in a silent laugh and his grimace soon turned into an amused smirk. "All that you have? But oh, dominant personality, I've always been there for you. And yet you still cast me aside and tried to get rid of me. It wasn't out of some sense of duty, so why?" He laughed again and tilted his head a little bit, kissing the palm of the hand that was still holding his face. "And I'm not all that you have, remember? What about your foolish 'brother', the one that doesn't even share our blood? The one that keeps me here, imprisoned inside you, without even giving me so much as a way to contact you? It's hardly fair, is it, dominant personality?"

The darker version of Marik sighed. His twisted smirk only grew, his eyes widening. "But oh?" He whispered. "Now you change your mind? You wish to accept me? Because you truly see there is no alternative? I've been waiting for this, my dominant personality. Waiting for the day where you would turn to me, the only source of comfort you've ever had..." In a way, it was like he was talking to himself now. But truly, Yami Marik was completely thrilled. He was overjoyed with the idea that his other self was finally willing to accept him, maybe even more. He shook his head.

"As for what you can call me... we are the same person; we share a name. I'm sure you could come up with something yourself. You've always been _so creative_, after all..."

The Egyptian boy's arms were spread to hold onto his darkness' hands. "You will never betray me like anyone else, would you? You're the only one who understood me- who understood everything about me. Rishid helped me through but you were the one who protected me from the pain. You accepted all of the pain and suffering that I have given you and you have done nothing but give me what I want." A smirk was present on his lips as he looked at his other self. His hands then went to the shackles and then these restraints released the darker being. This only proved that Marik was the one who locked his other self in those binds in the first place. He pushed the darker being against the wall, looking at him intently before biting on his lower lip. He managed to break his skin, causing the other's lower lip to bleed.

Marik was still smirking, but now he was shaking his head. "I have no reason to betray you, Dominant personality," he said simply. "As for taking the pain and giving you what you want in return... you seem to forget that I was born out of pain, that you created me simply for that purpose. I like feeling your pain... and I'm only repaying my debt to you for giving it to me, as well as for you giving me life in the first place."

He felt fulfilled while he was kissing his younger half. It was not because he actually had romantic feelings for the being of darkness in his arms but instead, the darker being always caused his body to go haywire. Yes, he lusted for his other self mainly because he was his protector and the fact that he was willing to give anything Marik ever wanted was not a bad offer as well. "I accept you, Marik. I accept all of you. As a payment, I shall give you all of myself including my name. Though I would still prefer to have my name close to yours."

He grinned when the shackles disappeared, but his enjoyment of the situation only increased when he felt his lip split open and his other self lick away the blood before kissing him. He couldn't deny that he liked this; in many ways, he preferred it to all his past experiences in this field, but that may have been because they were technically the same person and knew how to please each other best. There was something wonderfully dirty about that thought, Marik reflected, and it just added to the enjoyment. He pulled away briefly and closed his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered humbly. He was even bowing his head in an uncharacteristic show of loyalty. This whole situation was bizarre, but the dark entity loved every second of it.

The dominant personality's cheeks flushed, finding himself tongue-tied as of the moment. He did not even know what to say to Marik nor did he think of another name for himself. He pondered on it at first before tilting his head to side. "I can be called... Malik?" he asked, wondering if the darker counterpart approved of his name choice. "Malik..." he whispered, trying the name out for himself. He quite liked it - similar, but it somehow sounded nicer to him than his own name - or 'Malik's old name, whatever they were calling this now - and decided that it wasn't a bad idea. He leered down at his dominant personality, creepy knowing grin once again crossing his features. "All of yourself? I'm not certain I know what you mean." Though Yami Marik had a good idea of what he wanted those words to mean. He held his other self by the shoulders and pushed him down on to his back, crawling on top of him and licking his lips. "This could be very beneficial for both of us, Malik," he whispered.

Malik could not help but groan as he felt his darker counterpart press against him. His lips parted to speak when he tried to talk to him but no words came out. Instead, the Hikari ended up clearing his throat" Tell me, Marik... W-What does Ryou taste like?" The tomb keeper's eyes would sparkle at the thought of having his new plaything in his arms though he also knew that he could not get it without the help of this other Marik. He brought the other tan boy closer only to bite down on his neck, his other hand wandering under the keeper's shirt. "Did he feel good when you touched him like this? Did he scream when you took him? You hold something that I want most, Marik, and I want it so bad but I know that no one will be able to take it from you," he whispered before running a hand through the other's scalp.

Marik had to pause for a second, expression coming vacant as he pondered his response. A few seconds passed before that disturbing grin reappeared on his face and he licked his lips. "Ryou... yes, he was quite good," he said casually. He leaned in a bit closer so now his other self could feel the warm breath coming out of Marik's mouth. "_Delicious_, really. Having someone like that writhing in your arms... I can't wait until you feel it."

With a yank, he managed to bring the other one closer; their lips practically on each other save for a thin sheet of air between them. The boy then rolled over so he was on top, his grip only tightening around the keeper's hair. He growled lightly before talking once more, "I want his innocence, Marik. I want him for myself. I don't care if you break him along the way. I don't care if he will never love me back... I-I just want him so bad." No, Malik did not exactly love Ryou as much as Bakura did but at the same time, he did not simply lust for the boy. "Even though you did that to him, he still looks so innocent- so pure. He's the epitome of what I'm not- of what I want to be. I just want him, Marik. I want him and I need him." Malik heaved a soft sigh before kissing the dark being again, "You'll do that for me... Won't you, Marik?"

He refused to say anything else on the matter, instead taking his time to play around a bit. Truth be told, he was quite excited now that he had basically been given permission to break Ryou if given the chance. Hell, his dominant personality said he didn't care if the boy was broken, right? He just wanted the boy so badly that he was willing to take anything he could. He kissed his other self softly, more as a means of lulling him into a false sense of security than anything else. Though he hated it, Marik could pretend to be gentle... for a little while, anyway. "Of course, Malik," he replied quietly. "I will do whatever I can to fulfill your wishes... provided, of course, I can still take my own form of payment... I'm sure you know what - and who - I'm talking about." His eyes narrowed; for a while now, the dark entity had been wondering about a few things, one of which had followed him since ancient Egypt: namely, what it might feel like to have even the smallest taste of the king of thieves. That would truly be something worth putting effort into: if he could tame what was essentially untamable, then... he laughed gleefully, thinking of all the things he could do to break both Ryou and his parasite.

A couple of groans erupted from the Egyptian's lips. He did not know how he ended up this way- chained onto the wall just like his counterpart when he first saw him. "M-More," the boy chided as another sound escaped his lips. He could not hold back- the sound of the chains making contact with the wall echoing along their grunts and groans. It was apparent that the dominant personality was enjoying each movement and the other did nothing but to simply follow his orders. Malik was happy- his need for the other's touch finally given to him through this union. The pain was doubled but at the same time, the pain simply made him increase the volume of his noises of pleasure. Maybe it was because of the ritual that he actually did not feel the pain as much or maybe it was Marik that was absorbing the hurt but needless to say, he was enjoying this more than he should have. He felt his toes curl in absolute excitement the moment he heard a loud scream echoing in the four walls of their soul room.

Malik wondered for a second as to who it was only to realize that he was the one creating those seductive noises after all.

Marik was, to say the least, quite amused with what was going on. He would never have expected so full a submission from his headstrong 'dominant' personality, but now that he was getting it, it was more appealing than Marik had ever imagined. He licked his lips, shivering pleasantly when he heard those noises come from his other self. Yes, this was the kind of control he wanted, the kind of total acceptance that it was the darkness that truly mattered and would always be there for him. This was a sign of his other self's resolve weakening. Soon he would give up entirely, if he hadn't already.

"More? My, aren't we greedy?" He teased, but of course Marik was quick to comply with whatever was asked of him. It was all a part of his plan right now, after all.

* * *

The pharaoh woke up in cold sweat. He could not quite explain why he would have those kinds of dreams but it was obvious that it terrified him so. Seeing his lover writhe beneath him like that as he took the life of the person that meant the most to him was such a nightmare for him. But what hurt him most was the fact that he actually enjoyed seeing the other cry and _beg for mercy_ as he strangled him- taking him mercilessly at the same time. Yuugi begged him to stop but he was relentless- simply tearing the boy's life bit by bit by hurting every imaginable aspect of the boy. He looked at Yuugi, his hand shaking as he caressed the boy's pale cheek before hugging his naked form. He could barely distinguish what happened in the dream from what truly happened moments ago. Atem nuzzled his lover, leaving another hickey on his neck before his hands started wandering. His eyes flashed silver for a few moments as he started to massage the smaller boy. He wanted to see Yuugi's tears again and as strange as it may sound, he wanted the boy to beg for his life.

Feeling something tickling his skin, Yuugi began to squirm beneath the covers. He scrunched his eyes shut, trying to ignore what he was feeling but the sensation was just relentless. He half-heartedly swatted away the hands that were teasing him. "Ahhh... 'm tired, Atem..." he whined. Yuugi rolled over again but he felt those hands begin to massage him, actually quite roughly. He squirmed out of the pharaoh's reach and frowned, finally opening his eyes. "That hurt," he groaned. And even moving had hurt him a bit, because it wasn't as if they had been gentle just a few moments ago. Yuugi pouted. "Go to sleep... I'll play with you some more in the morning, okay?" He leaned forward and gently kissed his lover. "Promise."

Atem frowned, digging his nails against the boy's side before scratching it. However, his movements were far from soft. His calloused hands would graze against the smaller boy's soft skin as he let out a growl in the younger boy's ear. "I need you... Now," he groaned as he brushed himself against the boy. It was obvious that he was not going to take no for an answer and at this point in time; the pharaoh looked as if he was not going to let it go so easily. With another growl, he was hovering on top of the boy, holding his hands to the point that it was already bruising. However, his death grip was nothing compared to what he was doing to the smaller boy. He did not heed the boy's moans of protests or his requests for the pharaoh to stop. Instead, he was simply smirking as he bit the younger boy's neck once more. "Scream for me, Yuugi," he whispered, but this time this was different from when he was fooling around with the younger boy. He was taking this seriously and it looked like Yuugi has bitten off more than he could chew.

Yuugi was quick to try and push away from his Yami, doing all that was in his power to. "What's wrong with you?" He asked desperately. Tears were starting to form in the corners of his eyes from the pain of feeling this betrayed. "You're not like this! Snap out of it!" He continued to struggle until he cried out in pain, and finally found the strength to push Atem off of him. He got out of the bed quickly and ran to the other side of the room, just watching in fright to see what would happen next. Poor Yuugi was paralyzed with fear. He had picked up a pair of pants that had been discarded hastily earlier and clutched onto them tightly, shaking so badly that he couldn't put them on. He was right against the door, hand beside him on the handle, but he just couldn't will himself to turn it or move. Something had to be wrong. Atem wasn't like this. He cared about his Aibou - loved him! Didn't he?

A low animalistic growl escaped the pharaoh's lips the moment his partner leapt off of the bed. "I thought you loved me, Yuugi. You're just another person who tried to manipulate me... Who tried to use me because I am the pharaoh," he said, his magenta-colored eyes harboring a tinge of silver in them as he stood up. He pressed the smaller boy against the door, making sure that it was locked tight so that Yuugi could not make a sprint for it. He lifted the boy up only to take him against his will. Atem started laughing during said act; his hands creating various bruises on the smaller boy. When he had finished- finally breaking Yuugi's body in every which way possible- his hand wrapped around the boy's neck. "You lied to me, Yuugi. You are nothing but a worthless boy who was lucky enough to find my puzzle," he muttered, clutching tightly. When he felt that the boy was about to go unconscious, he pulled back, letting the poor boy slump to the floor.

He turned around but at that moment, the hold of the dark lord on him finally snapped loose- causing the pharaoh to widen his eyes in shock. He looked at the boy, noticing the blood and the bruises all over him. He wanted to reach out to the boy but he knew that he was in no position to hold him. No, he had hurt his Aibou even if Yuugi begged him to stop. But the twisted fact of the matter was that, he enjoyed hearing those sounds from his smaller lover. He felt a sick twisted pleasure watching Yuugi go over the edge despite of the rough gestures made on him. He hated what he did but at the same time, he could not say that he completely regretted it.

Yuugi was gasping for air by the time Atem finally let go of him. His vision had begun to darken around the edges, and now he was seeing spots because of the lack of oxygen. He fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering, clutching at his own neck and rubbing it to try and distract himself from the pain. The tears were flowing uncontrollably now. Why hadn't his protests done anything? "I do love you!" He had yelled. "I love you, but this isn't you!" And still no reaction came from the pharaoh except more anger, to the point where he had really tried to take his devoted lover's life. He couldn't even speak. Yuugi could do naught but curl up on himself, burying his face in his knees and his hands over his head, trying to make himself smaller than he already was as a means of protection. He was sobbing loudly and uncontrollably, obviously heartbroken at what had just been done to him. He wasn't even aware that his other self was still in the room; everything else around him had ceased to exist. Perhaps the pharaoh had even gone off somewhere else, Yuugi didn't know. He didn't care - all that he cared about now was trying to escape from both the physical and emotional pain that said man had caused him. But this wasn't Atem; it couldn't be. There was no way that this was his Yami, his protector, the man that had shared his body and mind for years and had never once tried to harm him. It was impossible! But even now he was starting to doubt that due to the pain coursing through his body.

Atem finally mustered enough courage to finally wrap his arms around the shaking boy before tearing up as well. At the first touches, Yuugi found himself shaking and trying to swat the hands away from him. "No!" he cried out, breaking down once again into uncontrollable sobs. "Don't touch me, please! No, no no..." He continued to repeat himself, whimpering brokenly, until he heard what was being said to him. Even then he kept repeating 'no' over and over again, but now he was moving back towards his Yami. This was his Yami, the one that he knew, saying these things to try and protect him... but he was still uneasy about it. Yuugi reached forward and clenched at his other self, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Mou Hitori no Boku," he whispered before fully wrapping his arms around his waist. "I-I... I don't think I can keep doing this to you. I don't think I can stay with you anymore," he muttered before closing his eyes. At first, this seemed like a good idea but now, he just could not see his Aibou getting hurt- not when he's the one causing it in the first place. He tilted his head to the side before lifting the other's chin up to make Yuugi look at him. "I'm the worst person to fall in-love with Yuugi. You shouldn't love me," he whispered before closing his eyes. "I should go back to where I belong. I should go back to Ancient Egypt."

"You c-c-c-can't...!" He whispered. "I... I l-l-l-love y-you. Even th-though you did this to me... I kn-know you h-have to go eventually, but...! N-No, I don't want you to!" His thoughts were all over the place, broken down into incoherent messes due to his never-ending tears. Why did this have to happen? How did it happen? Yuugi knew that eventually his other self would need to move on - he had always known it - but now the fact seemed more inevitable than ever before. The silly, boyish part of his mind still wanted to deny that someone he loved so dearly would be taken away from him forever. Now he had another thing to be upset about: the betrayal he had just felt, his still-undyingly strong love for the one who had hurt him this way, and above all, the mourning over his lover that still had not yet passed on, being stuck here in a time and place that he truly did not belong to.

The feeling of utter confusion was lingering in the pharaoh's mind. He wondered as to how this boy- this gaming enthusiast- could be so forgiving. He could level with a saint with what he was doing- ready to let himself go through all the trouble of falling in love with one of the most dangerous people in the world. The pharaoh lifted his chin, looking into those saddened eyes. That stare that Yuugi was giving him was slowly tearing his heart into a million pieces. "Y-You shouldn't... Not me..." he swallowed that forming knot in his throat as he tried to convince Yuugi from making the biggest mistake of his life. However, there was no use denying it. Atem also wanted to stay- he wanted to live out the rest of his existence beside his partner no matter what. Maybe that was partially the reason as to why his soul could not be put to its final resting place. With a sigh, the pharaoh could not help but concede to what the smaller boy was suggesting. He simply nodded before lifting Yuugi and placing him on the bed.

It took him a few moments before Atem came back with some bandages at hand along with some soothing cream. He applied some of it on the smaller boy's bruises before covering it up with a thin layer of gauze. By the time the pharaoh finished with his makeshift doctor session, Yuugi looked like he could compete in a modern day Mummy contest but Atem was proud of himself that he was able to care for his partner. A smile grazed his lips before claiming the boy's lips in his in a soft and relaxed kiss. "Forgive me Yuugi for I have hurt you so. But this is not the right time for us to talk. You should rest up soon. You still need to go back to school tomorrow.

Yuugi nodded. He knew he shouldn't have been able to forgive his Yami, but he just couldn't help it. He was forgiving by nature, and had forgiven nearly everyone that had wronged him in the past, no matter how awful their deeds had been to him. He simply allowed himself to be placed on the bed, not moving or saying anything. Right away he closed his eyes, but he was still trembling with silent sobs. He wanted so badly to just forget all of this and have things go back to the way they were. But he still didn't know anything - didn't know if it was really Atem that had hurt him like that. Was that his true self, let loose now that he had his own body and not Yuugi's mind to keep him under some kind of control? Or had something else influenced him?

Both options seemed incredibly impossible, but they couldn't both be wrong, could they? Everything was so confusing. He wrapped his arms around himself and turned onto his side, away from the Pharaoh. He was right; he did have school the next day, but he really desperately wanted to just skip it. He wondered vaguely if Ryou would go tomorrow, but his thoughts quickly left his white-haired friend. The boy seemed content where he was, and Yuugi wasn't exactly able to keep his mind off of his own Yami right now... and not in a good way at all. He was still terrified that something else might happen, that the pharaoh may once again try and take him against his will like he had just done. Or maybe even worse.

* * *

Circles were traced on the larger man's chest as a blush spread across his face- something that the boy's body did on impulse. His frail hands managed to tangle itself with the young businessman's hair before pulling him in a soft kiss. "You said you did... During," he murmured, the smile on his face slowly disappearing. Tears started to pool around his doe eyes before trickling down his cheeks. He sat up moments later, brushing the tears off of his eyes as he grabbed part of the soft blanket on the bed. "T-This was a mistake... Wasn't it, M-Mr. Kaiba?" he asked as he wrapped most of the sheet around his body. He turned, looking at Seto before sighing. Zorc watched the CEO carefully, trying to predict the teen's every move. Whatever it would be, Seto was surely going to be his host for he was just as gullible as his ancestor.

"Did I...?" Seto asked, somewhat unaware of his own lips moving. He was still lost in thought, going around in circles that he couldn't even remember forming. He felt like something was clouding his judgment, but he couldn't make it out, and his pride refused to allow him to admit that something other than his own mind had influenced him, actions or thoughts included. He was still stroking the boy's hair until said person shifted and sat up. Kaiba mimicked the action, looking straight into his eyes. "It wasn't a mistake," he said firmly, and he knew that it wasn't. He didn't even need to try and convince himself of that - he had wanted Ryou, and when the boy had presented himself so willingly like that... he had simply done what anyone would do and taken what he wanted. Even now there was something drawing him towards his classmate, but now it was something other than an inexplicable attraction or lust. No, something else was calling out to him, drawing him in deeper and deeper until he felt like he couldn't pull away.

By now, Zorc was truly amused. Ryou had this charisma- had this particular something about him that drew the CEO towards him even more. Maybe it was because of his innate cuteness or because of his adorable nature but it was nothing that Zorc could fully comprehend. A sigh escaped his lips before tilting his head to the side, "Then what was it, K-Kaiba-kun? If it was not a mistake, what was it? I-I... I don't think that we were thinking much when we did it too..." He closed his eyes, pulling away from the young businessman but soon found himself in his arms once more. "S-Seto?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. The boy blushed before pressing his lips against Kaiba's. The dark lord was smirking as he looked at the young CEO. He did not even have to draw him in. Ryou's physical traits were sufficient to pull the CEO in- especially if he was this frustrated. Soon enough, Kaiba would be playing in the palm of his hands. "I-I love you, Seto-kun," 'Ryou' whispered before blushing deeply.

Kaiba still had no words. He couldn't describe how he was feeling to Ryou, not even knowing himself just what his emotions were. All he knew was that he still wanted the boy in every way possible, and that his desire had only increased as a result of their earlier activities. He pulled the boy closer to him, in his arms, kissing him deeply and fully. When he pulled away, he head the boy utter those words again, even using his first name. He sighed. "Yes... I..." but he couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. He pulled Ryou to him again, kissing him even harder than before, and pulling the boy on top of him as he fell back onto the bed once more. He couldn't help it; it was something that he wanted - no, needed - and he couldn't wait any longer. He had waited too long to begin with.


	41. First Time

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

* * *

I'm not dead! I swear! I started my internship in a firm and for the past two weeks, I feel like I'm a walking zombie. I thought school was bad and then I got this internship. Ugh. Anyway, I had this chapter unedited for quite some time and since my schedule cleared up _just a little bit_ yesterday, I decided to post this today. Hooray?

This chapter's a long one but it's one of my favorite moments between Bakura and Ryou. Suuuure, it's mostly smut but I love the underlying idea behind this chapter- The idea that Bakura finally considers Ryou as his equal. Weeeeeell, you'd just have to read on and figure things out.

**_Please note that Chapter 40 and Chapter 41 are happening at the same time._ **

We do not own YGO or any of its characters. We own the plot. kthnxbai. :D

**Chapter Warnings:** Smut, Top!Ryou, Slight bondage if you can call it that. xD

* * *

**Chapter 41:** First Time.

"You..." he whispered. The thief's eyes slowly narrowed, until once again he looked angry. "What the hell were you thinking, Ryou? If Zorc was trying to make a deal with you, why would you even think about accepting it? Don't you remember what he did to you before?" He had never wanted to grab Ryou and slap some sense into him as much as he did now. But Bakura somehow had amazing control over his body right now, so it didn't show on his face at all. He just looked away, sighing heavily and burying his face in his hands. This was his fault, wasn't it? If he had just been faster, killed Marik sooner before his other self got here... if none of this had started in the first place... then Ryou would still have his own body. This was frightfully ironic.

The feeling itself was surreal- having to touch Bakura without really touching him. "Bakura... I-" he stopped midsentence before looking away, sighing. It was obvious that the Spirit of the Ring was irritated and knowing that the thief king was mad at him was making him upset. "I... panicked. I didn't want to rely on you anymore. I wanted to stand up for myself for once and it was the only way out. I'm stupid, I know. At the end, I am suffering the consequences and I'm relying on you on a different way. I understand as to why you're mad... I-I just don't want to hear it," he stated before looking around. Everything felt different now. His chest hurt but he neither could cry nor could he stop his chest from hurting. All he could do is to look at the floor as if something was actually interesting there.

The thief looked up; face devoid of any emotion whatsoever now. Zorc had not heeded his warning: he had simply ended up creating yet another distraction for his pawn, one that was going to end up delaying the god's resurrection even further. Bakura had never been backed so far into a corner that he couldn't escape, and he wasn't about to let this deter him from anything. No, he simply had to find a way around it, just like everything else he had managed to get out of. And he wasn't going to stop trying to get Ryou his body back until the boy once again had a true physical form. But still, this was really unsettling. "I suppose now you're going to learn how to deal with being a parasite," he commented lightly. Then again, he supposed they could always switch places again, so Ryou was the one in control of the body and Bakura was the one pulling the strings from the background. He might actually have preferred it that way, but it wasn't up to him. _I wonder if he'll even know how to possess me properly? _The thief wondered. Now _that_ was an interesting thought...

Everything that was happening truly hurt Ryou in more ways than one. He would've wanted to be in Bakura's arms and to feel the thief's lips on his. He would've wanted nothing more than to simply lay beside him and listen to his breathing. However, the situation that he was in prevented him for feeling anything but the pain and the sadness that was lingering in his heart. The _new Spirit of the Ring_suddenly disappeared from Bakura's line of sight only to reappear in front of two doors. One led to his dilapidated soul room while the other led to Bakura's door. He saw the image of the Millennium Ring, as if it has been newly carved there. Ryou furrowed his eyebrows before tracing over this image, only to have his beloved thief king collapse.

_'This must be the way as to how he got control over my body...'_ The door made a creaking sound as he pushed it forward. When he finally opened his eyes (when had he closed them again?), he was actually shocked to see that he saw two more doors. He chose the left door first. The sight itself was not pretty- even worse than his own soul room. It was darker and the scent of the blood was heavier than the one in his room. He shut it tight immediately, not wanting to see anything else of the thief's soul room. However, it made him curious as to why there was another door. He knew that one's soul room depicted the true soul of the person. Did that mean that the thief was indecisive about something? _'Baku...'_ he thought before taking in a deep breath. The moment he finally entered the other room, Ryou could not help but gasp at the sight of his other soul room. Everything was just familiar- a little too familiar for him.

* * *

The second Ryou disappeared form in front of him, Bakura knew what was going to come. He didn't even get a chance to think about telling Ryou to stop, because already his vision was failing him and he was falling to the ground. When he awoke, he was in a familiar room, faced with two doors. He sighed to himself and chose one, surprised to find what he did. It had been too long since he had opened this door, and even then, when he had selected a door oftentimes what he found was different. This was no exception, though it did unnerve him a bit now that he realized just how much like Ryou's room it was.

He moved to the bookshelf and chose a random book off of it, opening up and flipping through the pages. It wasn't long before he found a guest in his room, and he looked up immediately. He could feel himself get pushed against the corner and found that he was wrapping his arms around the boy's frame, tangling them in his hair and pulling him closer. The book lay forgotten on the floor. Bakura allowed Ryou to pull away from him a bit, groaning with the sudden lack of a body pressing into his. That thought in itself was strange, seeing as the thief knew that both his body and Ryou's didn't actually exist in this room. But they could still feel as if they did, which had always puzzled him.

"I-I uhm. I-I'm sorry for intruding," he said before running a hand through the thief's hair. Even if he only lost his body moments ago, the feeling of not being able to touch Bakura scared him out of his mind and thus, he could not stop himself from simply jumping on the thief. He nuzzled Bakura's neck, taking in the scent that he missed so much before sighing, "W-Why does this room look like mine? I mean... how it used to be?" he asked before gripping on the thief's hand tightly. He kissed the thief's neck before thinking of something, "I-I apologize for acting so irrationally. I wasn't really thinking when I made a deal with Zorc. I wanted to do something on my own and look at what happened. I guess I really am pathetic." Ryou shook his head before looking at the thief king, "Maybe... Maybe you can use the Millennium Ring?" His gaze lingered on Bakura before he looked away, "I just... I just miss holding you this close. I love you Bakura. I'm not really making much sense now, am I? I-I don't know. I just... I just miss you so much."

He rolled his eyes and looked away, as if he were confused and trying to work something out. It was a little bit odd, as if Bakura were an entirely different person at the moment. "I don't know," he mumbled, voice showing just how distant he was feeling. "I've only been in this room once or twice before... it always appears differently. You saw the other room, right? That one is always the same." He shifted and picked up the book he had dropped. "I don't even understand why this is here. I have no interest in it whatsoever. Most of this stuff, most of these books... I don't even know what they are." He shrugged. Bakura's soul room had always confused him somewhat - at least this one, the one that always changed, did. The other one... there was nothing to confuse him there. Many of the bloodstains and words written there he had made himself, completely intentionally. That was where he usually felt most at home within himself, if only because the despair and hatred that filled that room were so familiar to him. But this time, he just hadn't had it in him to go in there. Later, however, it would be more than likely that some new additions would be made to that room.

The thief king growled and clenched his hand into Ryou's hair again. "Stop apologizing," he ground out. "Even if you hadn't wanted to accept his offer, it's not as if you had much choice. One way or another he would have had you."

This much he knew from experience. Perhaps it was time to start looking at some new options? He didn't dare say this out loud, mostly because he thought it was sometimes kind of fun to keep people - even Ryou - guessing. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he had done something completely the opposite of what he had been planning.

The thief's eyes narrowed and he grinned, suddenly once again taking on that predatory look that had become so at home on his face. "Hey, Ryou... shut up for a second, will you?" He lifted the boy and pinned him to the wall, crushing their lips together and wasting no time in thrusting his tongue into the other's mouth. They remained like that for a while, until one of them was forced to take a breath. When they finally parted, Bakura was still grinning. He leaned forward and whispered against his Hikari's lips, "You have no idea how many times I have wanted to try that... to just barge into your soul room and see what it would feel like." He laughed quietly and proceeded to nibble on Ryou's lower lip, gazing into his eyes lazily. _Well? I want to hear your reaction, you know. Part of the fun is finding out what kind of effect it has on you._

His eyes would trail away from Bakura's but every moment he would, his eyes would immediately divert back to him anyway. He sighed somewhat exasperatedly before looking at their position. It was really quite promiscuous if one would think about it and yet, Ryou found sitting on his lap the most comfortable position there ever was. He was then pulled in another fierce kiss, causing the boy to groan ever so slightly as he tried to clutch on the thief for his dear life. "B-Bakura..." he stuttered the moment he found himself in this particular situation once more. He knew what would come next and at the same time, he was sort of anticipating it. Just like that, the soul room started to change once more- back to what Ryou's soul room used to look like. The wallpapers were torn from the wall by a mysterious force of some sorts but then again, Ryou wasn't noticing any of that. He was too busy tangling his fingers in his darker counterpart's hair while pressing his lips against his.

The addiction was back as he kept on kissing the thief in hopes of satisfying his cravings for the thief. He could not understand as to why he felt this way. He could not understand as to why he wanted to be this close- this near to the thief king. He knew that he loved him with all of his heart but at the same time, he wanted this relationship to be more than the physical relationship and need that he kept feeling every time Bakura was there. "Do you really think that... we can do this?" he asked tilting his head to the side. He wondered if they could really do something in the comforts of their soul room. In the first place, how could their 'souls' touch this way? He pouted before closing his eyes and nuzzling him, "H-How do we go about this anyway?" he asked only to press the thief against the wall even more. The plush couch was spacious enough for them to lay on it. Ryou tilted his head to the side before biting his lower lip, "I-I need you, Bakura. I want to be with you- in any way possible."

Bakura couldn't help but laugh. "What do you mean? We go about this the same way you would in a dream. Only this time, I can actually interfere with this dream." He kissed Ryou again, and as he did so, he could feel heat growing between them, as if they were more than just spirits or souls, but like they had an actual physical presence again. It made no sense, but the thief didn't care. He found that he quite liked this feeling.

The moment his shirt was off of him, his own finger grazed the five wounds on his chest. Then, it hit him, making him look up at Bakura instantly. "The Millennium Ring! Maybe, you can use it to find my body?" he asked, his eyes lighting up at the plant that was brewing in his head. He paused in his actions, lighting up considerably at Ryou's suggestion. "...That's actually a really good idea," he stated. He had never used the Millennium Ring to find anything other than Millennium Items, but it shouldn't be too hard, especially considering Ryou had used it to find Bakura before he even really knew how the Item worked. He pulled Ryou closer to him, smirking deviously. "I knew you were a good choice. So smart. So good..." He was starting to get ambiguous in his speech, going from clear words to muttered compliments that made sense in a strange way - sometimes in more than one context, sometimes in none at all. Bakura was very strange. It was only all the more evident now that he didn't have an image or anything to keep up and he didn't have the ability to properly restrain himself in his soul-room.

This was when the boy finally took a good look around him only to find that the room has already been changed. "This room... and that room... are complete opposites," he stated as things started to make more sense in his head. The rooms were a depiction of Bakura's inner conflict- much like the conflict the pharaoh has about his identity back then. The thief was conflicted between two things that he wanted most- to finally give rest to the spirits of the fallen city of thieves and his love for the innocent boy in his arms. He stroked the thief's cheek before biting his lower lip. "Y-You do love me," he blushed deeply- mostly because he finally understood it now. Their clothes suddenly disintegrated to nowhere; Ryou finding his own member brushing against the thief's.

A groan escaped his lips the moment his member brushed against Bakura's while they were engaged in a tight lip lock. "Your soul room is just as twisted as you, Baku," he whispered before letting out a short laugh. He wondered as to how Bakura can present himself in two ways. The kind and gentle Bakura and at the same time, the cold and heartless Bakura. Maybe his soul rooms were depicting that as well. _'I want to change that other room as well... No, not through the Millennium Key. I want him to finally smile without having to trouble himself any longer.'_ "You have been burdened far too long, my thief king. Let me bear the burden with you. I want to at least try to save you from the darkness but if I cannot, then I can at least be with you in the depths of your soul. Share with me the pain, Bakura. I can take it," he whispered, his eyes shining with his conviction. He was not going to let Bakura walk this way alone anymore. No, he wanted to walk this path with him- where ever it will lead them.

He laughed again. "Of course I love you, idiot. Haven't I been telling you that all along?" But his face slowly turned darker, like something was hurting him. He closed his eyes and reopened them slowly, giving Ryou a firm stare. "I can't stop you from following me wherever our paths lead," he stated. "But I cannot share this pain with you. It's mine to suffer through, not yours. I shall suffer alone." He reached up and caressed Ryou's cheek, leaning in to kiss him gently. The touch of their lips was slow, soft, and chaste, unlike the fiery moments of passion they had just been sharing seconds ago. "I don't say this out of some stupid sense of pride, Ryou. I'm doing it for you. You say you can take the pain... you can't. I... I couldn't even handle it." His voice had degenerated from a firm tone to a soft, insecure whisper. He knew very well what he was saying and that it might end up upsetting Ryou, but he just couldn't allow the boy to fall any farther than he already had. But like he said, if it was Ryou's choice, he couldn't stop the boy.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he was looking at Ryou seriously. "But if you must..." He started. The thief knew the boy wasn't going to take no for an answer, so he felt he should give him a taste of what he was talking about, even if just a small one. If Ryou knew what might come ahead of them, then that would just make things easier for the both of them. "...If you feel you can't let me do this alone, then I'll show you just how painful this could be for us."

The walls slowly began to shift, changing again, until the baby blue color had melted away and was replaced with smears of blood and dirt. They were suddenly on the floor, Bakura on top of Ryou, pinning the boy down by his wrists and looking down at him with a pained expression of insanity. He was breathing heavily, obviously showing that something was hurting him physically - though what it was couldn't be seen. Faint whispers could be heard echoing in the background. "This..." Bakura whispered, "Is what it has always been like. What it _will_always be like." With that, he crushed their lips together again, moving against the boy in a strange way, both gently and roughly, sliding against him smoothly but at the same time there was something completely off about the rhythm. It was simultaneously wonderful and wrong, and Bakura couldn't control which feeling came out more. He pulled away and licked at Ryou's cheek, finding small smears of blood there too. He hadn't realized yet that the blood had come off of his own face, where a deep cut had appeared. It was an exact replica of what the scar on the thief's king face looked like. Bakura couldn't feel the blood, only the sting of the wound he hadn't realized had been inflicted.

He waited, watching Ryou for any reaction. He was giving the boy a chance to go back, take them back to the other room, where it was warm and safe, away from all this chaos and pain. It was up to Ryou which path he would rather choose now: stay here with Bakura and share his pain, or pull the thief away into something where they would both suffer less.

Ryou could feel the scenery around him shift, making his eyes widen in both fear and satisfaction. No longer was he Bakura's light or the one the thief wanted to protect at all costs. No, Bakura was actually treating him as a partner - as an equal. Contrary to the king's manic expression, an angelic smile spread on his lips. The fear in his eyes eventually disappeared as the boy looked at him with both love and longing. He brought the thief near him only to lick the excess blood off of his cheek. "Taste... So good," he whispered, groaning in delight when Bakura's grip tightened around his wrist. He loved feeling this way, having the tomb robber this close to him. His heart was racing with excitement as he pulled him in another kiss.

Maybe the surroundings were getting to him already for Ryou just started laughing. The room started to shift ever so slightly as a reaction to the giggling light. The room's environment was still heavy but candles started to appear out of nowhere. The room lit up, giving it a sinister or happy feel (depending on the point of view one would look at). The candles illuminated the room enough for Ryou to notice the cut on the thief's cheek. In truth, he only knew that there was blood on the thief's cheek when he got a whiff of the scent of it but he did not know where it came from exactly. "I already told you that this won't be easy. I would not want it any other way," he whispered, brushing the bangs off of the thief's eyes some. He stared into his crimson orbs, feeling the sudden rush sweep through his body as he felt their bodies touched once more. "P-Please... Just let me do this with you. I-I want to be of some use to you. I don't want to be that weakling host of yours any longer. Please."

His hands found the thief's hair once more as he desperately pulled the thief closer to him. At that point in time, his length was already weeping from the friction of their bodies. He could feel himself harden even more as he slipped his tongue inside Bakura's mouth in another kiss. This time, the kiss was needy- more desperate as his other hand reached down to brush against the thief's hardening member. The boy began panting, arching his back the moment his own hand brushed up against his own skin. He let out a soft moan of both pain and pleasure the moment the room started to get to him as well, creating small cuts on his body. "Painful... And yet... B-Bakura!" he exclaimed in pleasure when he felt something brush against his side. The whole room has been lit up by different candles. One can fully see the two white-haired boys sprawled on the floor. Their pale bodies were both covered in scars, the scent of blood and their scents mingling in the air. The smile on Ryou's face never left his lips and his eyes as he looked at the thief king.

Oddly enough, Ryou looked like he was actually enjoying being tortured by the room. "I love the Great Tozokuoh Bakura," he stated with much pride before arching forward to bite on his ear, "He's my adorable _wife_." The boy could not help but groan once more when he felt the thief hold onto his wrists again, grinning, "Did I hurt Baku-Baku's pride?" he whispered before laughing once more. He was clearly delusional. He wanted nothing more than get his precious release.

It felt as if they truly had switched places. Ryou was the one taking charge here, even though Bakura warned him against it; it was Ryou that was taking all these risks and giving up part of him to continue what he was currently doing. Bakura could just stare in awe at some moments, when he wasn't actively trying to get as much pleasure as he could out of the other boy. Some of the things Ryou said, even, were completely different from who he used to be. Hell, he was being assertive instead of just allowing himself to fall back and let the thief king do whatever he wanted. Bakura had to admit that he quite liked that.  
Maybe it was the fact that they weren't really conscious right now, or maybe it was the room itself, but everything about this little romp just seemed completely different... and not in a bad way at all. "You're changing, Ryou," Bakura hissed. "Getting too smug... t-too much..." The thief's sentence never got to its end, as it was cut off by a loud moan. He gripped on Ryou even harder, pulling him ever closer, not caring that they literally were already as close as they could get in more ways than one. He smirked devilishly when their positions were flipped, laughing quietly (and a tad crazily) at the sudden rush of adrenaline he was getting.

The boy flipped their positions as he licked the thief king's ear, sucking. He rubbed against the thief's member before grinning. "I doubt that you can dominate me that way, Bakura. I bet I can do a better job that you can. You told me that you wanted to prove that you can truly dominate me. Prove it, Bakura-sama," he muttered in the thief's ear before giving it another sensual lick. It had been a while since the boy called him his master but the boy said it with much sarcasm that it was impossible for anyone to miss it. Maybe, his masochistic urges would finally be fulfilled and if not, well, he can easily dominate the thief and have his way with him, right?

"You want me to dominate you, Ryou?" He whispered. The thief's hands came up to grip Ryou's shoulders roughly, digging his nails into the skin deeply before raking them downwards. He leaned up and copied the boy's action of nibbling and sucking on his ear, every now and then biting down harshly. "I thought you were having fun being in control for once? Not that I mind..." Really, he liked this crazy side of Ryou, just as much as he liked it when the boy decided he wanted to be submissive. In many ways, this was better, because it presented a bit of a challenge to Bakura - it was a game of sorts, one that they both wanted and loved to play. And, naturally, they took it to its extremes, but thankfully without some of the more horrendous penalties that either one of them were capable of thinking of (though a lot of Bakura's ideas were just worse for the losing party in general).

This was not something the thief was going to take lightly. If Ryou wanted this, and to stay with Bakura even through the pain it was causing both of them, then he would make damn well sure that it was worthwhile. Or at least, he would attempt to. But that didn't mean he had to be exactly conventional about all this, did it? He laughed darkly and shifted underneath Ryou, taking the boy's length in his hand and slowly massaging it. He noted how close Ryou seemed already, but that just gave Bakura more initiative. He kissed Ryou quickly, then slowly kissed his neck, shoulders, chest, leaving a small trail of saliva as he licked a path down to the boy's length. He took it into his mouth, teasing the flesh by swirling his tongue around the head, but not going lower. He was lavishing his attention on one specific spot, then when he was satisfied with that, moved just a little bit lower. The entire time, Bakura kept his hand at the base, holding just tightly enough to stall his Hikari's release.

With his free hand, Bakura began to push against Ryou's stomach a bit so that now he was leaning against a wall. When he was satisfied with where Ryou was, he began to spread the boy's legs apart, moving one at a time, looking up at him through his half-lidded eyes and smirking around the object in his mouth. The looks were quite significant, showing that the thief had something planned, but he gave no indication whatsoever of what they plan may have been. He began to absently scratch at the insides of Ryou's thighs, leaving small marks and even drawing blood here and there when he so felt like it. His fingers were smearing the red liquid around in a strange pattern, making the whole thing look more surreal than anything else. Bakura laughed unintentionally, creating a few deep vibrations. No matter what he did, though, it never seemed to be enough to completely drive Ryou over the edge... but that may also have been because of his hand trying to hold his Yadonushi back. Still, he wasn't gripping tightly enough to restrict him all that much.

Bakura looked up again, trying to gauge Ryou's reaction on his face. He wanted to hear the boy speak, plead with him to do more... but it wouldn't have made that much of a difference; Bakura was going at his own pace now, and he was going to be the one to keep it going. If Ryou wanted a change, then he would have to be very convincing to make the thief change his mind.

A strangled groan struggled to get out of his throat the moment he felt Bakura's lips on member. Suddenly, something warm enveloped his throbbing length, causing him to lean against the wall. It felt cool against his skin as he tried his best to prevent his release. He started to wonder if Bakura grew tired of answering to his requests. His hands found the thief king's hair, tugging him closer as he tried to move the thief at a faster pace. "Is that all you can do?" he asked, cocking his head to the side before laughing. He threw his head back, his eyes shut tight in pure euphoric pleasure as he tried to buck his hips forward. His efforts were simply put to waste for whatever he tried to do; the thief king did not even move the least bit faster. Instead, Ryou could feel as if the thief was going at a much slower pace- or maybe it was just his hormones thinking that way.

He let out a growl before pushing Bakura to the floor. "Little Yami wants to be dominated too," he cooed before licking the side of his ear. Ryou pushed the thief's chest against the floor as his nimble fingers grazed along the thief's back. He was so close. A grin spread across his lips as he bit down on the thief's shoulders, his nails digging on his sides. "Tell me, Bakura. Do you like it when I play rough with you?" he asked, his tongue grazing along those sweet spots on Bakura's neck- leaving a few bruises here and there. He stopped noticing the environment of the room moments ago and when he finally took time to look around, what displayed to him was such a beautiful abstract composed of a mixture of crimson and blue. The walls looked like they were made of marble- the color of blue softening the crimson walls. This was the room that signified their union- their connection as Bakura finally accepted him in his life.

Bakura couldn't help but smirk when he was pushed back, even though technically the control was being forced away from him. Somehow, he just didn't care about that. That certainly wasn't all he could do, not by a long shot, but evidently Ryou wasn't patient enough to find out the full extent that the thief king was going to try and please him in. He just reached up and dug his nails into Ryou's shoulders, that sinister smirk once again appearing on his features. He was definitely looking forward to this, even though he had a feeling that it wouldn't be as quick and clean as he first thought. No, if Ryou was going to dominate him that implied that he really was going to go to the limits to do so.

His fingers played along the thief's entranced before thrusting his forefinger inside. At the same time, he bit down on the thief's neck, his other hand playing with Bakura's member. Ah yes, he loved it when he dominated Bakura like this- mostly because he did not get to do it to him this way yet. Sure, he started his torture in Ancient Egypt but at the end of the session, Ryou was the one begging for Bakura to move faster. Well this time, Ryou was not in the mood to give up his throne as the person who can dominate the thief king. No, he loved seeing Bakura writhe beneath him as well- possibly the reason as to why he did not mind Zorc dominating him back then. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back on the needy thief beneath him. This was what was happening and from the looks of it, the boy failed to care for the dark lord more than his feelings for him (something that Ryou was very much grateful for). With another bite and another mark, Ryou slipped another finger in his dry hole, commenting on how tight the thief was.

"Tell me that you want me, Bakura, or I'll never let you go," he whispered in the thief's ear before two pieces of cloth appeared beside them. An idea popped in the boy's mind and with that, he retreated his fingers back from the heated hole. He grinned as he tied a knot around the thief's member, remembering that this was something that the dark lord did to prolong the thief's agony. However, Ryou already told him that he was willing to share in all pain that the thief was having so at that point in time, he also placed a secured knot around his member. The thief did not even complain as his member was bound to prevent his release, though he did find it interesting that Ryou did the same for him. He understood why, but still, he doubted that it would have been something he would have done himself. His smirk did fade, however, when he felt Ryou penetrate him with his fingers. Already the thief felt overwhelmed with pleasure, not just at the physical feeling of it, but the thought that it was Ryou doing this to him. Ryou, in his soul room, the only one that would ever be allowed to do these things to him. That in itself was a bit more erotic for Bakura than it should have been.

Slicking his fingers with the thief's dripping pre-cum, he slid his fingers back in the thief's entrance before letting his hot breath press against the thief's ear. "Beg for me," he stated before taking his fingers off of the thief king. He pressed the tip of his weeping length against the thief's hole but did nothing to fully penetrate him. Instead, Ryou would simply poke him teasingly in hopes to hear the thief moaning his name out loud. He bit his lower lip before fully sheathing himself in the thief's hole, groaning at the tight walls clamping around him. "Beg, little thief."

He cried out in pleasure, clutching even more tightly to his Hikari and shutting his eyes. When he opened them, he couldn't even manage to do it all the way, instead gazing at Ryou through hazy, lust-filled eyes. "L-love it..." he ground out between a moan, in response to the boy's earlier question. "Love... you... damn it, Ryou, more!" He wasn't even close to begging yet, but he just wanted to feel that pleasure he was getting increase. It was hard to think clearly in this state.

He pushed against Ryou, trying to coax him to do more, or to get inside him already, but was of course held back until the boy felt like doing such a thing. When finally he felt fulfilled, it still wasn't enough for Bakura. He looked up at Ryou, expression showing complete and utter desire. He wanted this, way too much. "Please, Ryou..." He whispered. Truth be told it was still difficult for Bakura to swallow his pride like this. "I want... I want you... please, Ryou. I w-want you to fuck me. Please..." He was visibly shaking from want and obvious frustration now. He was hardly willing to beg normally, but right now he just couldn't help himself. He was, as much as he hated it, completely at Ryou's mercy.

His heart pounded in his ribcage as he tried his best to hold back from thrusting too fasts. The boy moved his hips slowly, making sure that the thief king beneath him would feel his skin grinding against the walls that hugged his member tightly. "Naughty naughty host," he whispered, giving the thief king's ear a gentle lick. Ryou loved Bakura's form like this- almost similar to his and yet different in every way imaginable. Possibly it was because of a hidden narcissistic side or something but the boy found himself admiring Bakura's beauty too much. His fingers stroked his member slightly, in hopes of torturing the thief even more but he only found himself driving deeper into the thief king. He groaned, his other hand gripping tightly on the thief's waist to stop him from bucking against him. He was in control and Bakura could do nothing but to simply accept that fact. He was finally dominating his lover and there was no way that the boy would simply give up the position without a fight.

Stroking the slit of the thief's weeping length, he brought the coated finger near his lips only to lick the substance off of it. He pulled out, moving so that the thief was facing him before parting his legs again. He grinned, wondering what he would look like if Ryou took him like this. True, he has topped once or twice in their sessions but he never had the pleasure of seeing his lover's reaction when he does (mostly because Ryou would find that he has shut his eyes through the whole experience). "See? This only proves that you are my fair wife," he taunted before lifting the thief's hand once more. He grinned, wondering as to how the ring would still appear on the thief's soul but then again, he did not complain about it. He took the thief's hand in his before kissing the back of it, smiling. "I would like to start making my beloved maiden scream," he stated before placing both of his hands on either side of his waist. He angled himself, making sure that he was aiming for the thief's pleasure spot before thrusting in hard.

The boy let out a soft growl as he pushed in, finding that he had forced Bakura's legs to wrap around his own waist. His member was begging for release but the binding was preventing the two white-haired Ring keepers from getting over the edge. The edge was so close with Ryou trying his hardest to maintain his composure. His cheeks could make a tomato feel ashamed of its color as he panted hard to keep his lungs filled with air. His nails dug in deep as he let out a somewhat animalistic growl the moment he felt his climax building up from inside of him. If the knot was not as well tied as what was around his member, he would've released inside the thief already. "Fuck... S-So tight! You're so fucking tight!" he exclaimed biting down on the thief's neck once more- this time drawing blood from the sheer force that he placed on it. The soul room was filled with those happy noises but the collision of their bodies was the main sound that resonated in it. The boy growled once more, feeling that he just needed one more push to simply get there.

Bakura was completely unable to form coherent sentences at this point. He was only really able to make disjointed noises that were meant to resemble words when he wasn't crying out in pleasure. The thief's nails dug even deeper into Ryou's skin, to the point that it was nearly impossible to grip him any more tightly. He was completely lost in the pleasure, which wasn't exactly new to him, but just the way that Ryou was taking complete control of the situation and not even giving his darkness a chance to respond or do anything in return was just driving him wild in all the best ways. He couldn't even protest when Ryou began calling him his wife again. Everything Ryou was doing to him was pushing Bakura closer and closer to the edge: the way he mercilessly thrust into him, the way he was stroking him, the way he was talking... it was all just too much. Bakura pushed back against Ryou as best he could, but the hands holding him in place were not exactly making that easy. It was actually rather frustrating. "R-Ryou... Ryou!" He cried out, both as a way of asking for more and demanding that he let go and just let him hit his climax already. But that wasn't going to happen just yet, it seemed.

Push after push after push, the boy simply kept going faster- eventually bruising the thief king's hips from his death grip. He lifted himself a bit only to find his lips captured by the thief's lips once more. Their tongues battled for dominance as the boy pushed in deeper and harder than he had ever done before.

When he felt that he was about to lose his sanity, he pulled out only to straddle the thief king's waist. He lowered himself down on the thief's member, letting out a loud scream at the sudden intrusion on his hole. "E-Every time... So fucking good... F-Fuck me!" the boy exclaimed as he tried to move his hips as fast as he could. His member was throbbing and it was only a matter of time 'til he exploded in a blissful climax and from what he could feel inside him, the thief was not going to stay for too long. "I-I'm c-coming! D-Damnit Bakura! HARDER!" the boy exclaimed, flipping their positions once more as he immediately brought the thief in another lip lock. Their slicked bodies moved faster; the entire room staying quiet as if the strange voices were taking pity on the boys.

The thief was actually surprised when Ryou pulled out. He didn't get a chance to regain any of his composure, however, before he felt the familiar tight heat of Ryou on him. His eyes widened and for a moment Bakura completely forgot about the cloth that was still binding both of them, preventing their respective climaxes. He took in sharp breaths and began to move quickly and sharply. Of course, he was grateful when their positions flipped as he was given better access to the boy and was able to go deeper, harder, and just overall give him more pleasure. The thief angled himself, hoping to strike that one spot that would make his Hikari see stars. It wasn't even about just his pleasure anymore; he wanted to give Ryou everything he could, just as the boy was willing to do for him. "F-fuck, Ryou! S-so..." He couldn't finish what he was saying; Bakura leaned forward and bit down on Ryou's neck, both to stop himself from crying out even more and to mark the boy as his (though at this point it wasn't really necessary; he just knew that this particular spot would drive Ryou crazy). Part of the thief wanted nothing more than to tear the cloth away from both of them, but since it was his Hikari that had put it there, he decided it wasn't up to him to choose what to do with it. No, for all intents and purposes, Ryou was still in control here and Bakura wanted to keep it that way. It wasn't very often that he was dominated like this, and he wanted to drag that, and Ryou's pleasure, out as long as possible. Call him masochistic, but although he felt like if he didn't release soon he might die, he was still unwilling to end this session.

The boy's lips parted again and again after every thrust, arching his back in order to force the thief deeper than what he was already doing. "E-Every time... Every fucking time..." he whispered before groaning the moment he felt the thief's sharp teeth bruise his neck once more. Ryou could feel his head lighten- making him wonder if his soul could actually collapse in its soul room. A hard thrust brought him out of his thoughts, a short spurt of his essence staining the thief's stomach. "K-Kura..." he groaned lovingly before bringing him down in a tender kiss. For some odd and unexplainable reason, he still could not bring himself to stop loving the thief.

"L-Love... you," he managed to whisper in between groans, his doe eyes struggling to remain 'conscious'. He wondered if it was because they were doing something 'physical' but if one would think it through, they were not exactly doing anything much. Ryou moved his hips to meet with Bakura thrust after thrust. He was certain now as to what path he would take and even though he knew that it would be the most painful path, well, Ryou was a masochist anyway. "C-Close... S-So close!" he exclaimed before clamping down on the other's length inside him.

When his muscles tightened around him like that, Ryou could only feel the pleasure multiply to the extents that his body was shaking from the immense pleasure. "Oh gods... G-God! K-Kura! Yes!" he exclaimed, trying his best to maintain his composure but failing miserably at the same time. It was at that moment that he felt Bakura release inside him; the bonds were no longer enough to keep the giant tsunami of pleasure from washing over the white-haired thief king. Now for the boy, it pushed him to a different direction.

When he finally realized that he couldn't hold on any longer and that the restraints were not going to completely hold him back, Bakura arched his back and released within his Hikari. He came with a loud scream that echoed all around them, bouncing off the walls and coming back to them over and over again. The moment he felt that the thief filled him with his seed; the boy arched his back while digging his nails in the thief's back. Ryou let out a growl, moaning out the thief's name for the nth time in the session before finally exploding between them. It was almost painful how strong Bakura's climax was, and though he couldn't say for sure if it felt the same for Ryou, he was certain that to at least some extent the boy was feeling something similar.

When he finally came down from his high he immediately found himself back on Ryou, kissing him hungrily but at a much more relaxed pace than before. He pulled away, still panting heavily, and stroked the boy's hair with the back of his hand. A satisfied and loving smile was now being worn on the thief's face, making him look rather strange in that this expression was completely unlike him. "Love you..." he whispered. He couldn't feel the pain of a hoarse throat even though he knew under normal circumstances that from shouting so much it would definitely have hurt his voice in some way or another. But not here. It was kind of strange that they could feel anything at all, and thinking about that, Bakura realized that the pain this room had caused within him earlier had ebbed away. That was definitely a relief.

After a few moments lip-locking, the lighter half pulled away shyly, hiding his flushed face behind his hands as he tried not to look at Bakura. It was not as if the sex itself was bad but the boy usually reverted back to his shy nature after every session and this was no exception. He looked at the thief through the spaces between his fingers before looking away. However, the boy could not hide his true body from the thief. His body was a mixture of white and of pale red- a sure sign that even the tips of his toes were blushing. He could not believe that he just did that to the both of them and the fact that their orgasm was prolonged that long was still something that the boy reveled at.

A sigh escaped his lips before pressing his lips against the thief king's, trailing his jaw line before pulling him closer to whisper something in his ear. "Clean me up, my love?" he asked so innocently and yet so seductively at the same time. Ah yes, it was the boy's innate charm this time- not the one that he exuded around Bakura alone but it was the boy's naivety that made it somewhat seductive. "P-Please?" he stuttered. Just when one would think that Ryou's blush could not be deeper, it went in another shade of red- possibly the darkest that anyone would ever see on the boy.

He laughed quietly and shifted so that he was leaning over Ryou, one hand on either side of the boy's body. "Of course, love," he whispered before leaning down and pressing his lips to his Hikari's chest. Bakura began to lick small trails along the skin, lapping up every stray drop of the boy's seed. He wasn't sure how Ryou could go from one attitude to another so quickly, what with being crazy and dominant during the actual act of sex and going back to his usual shrinking self immediately after. But it was something that the thief found kind of endearing, so he didn't complain.

When he finished, he pulled Ryou back over to him and kissed him slowly, making sure that the boy was wrapped up in his arms and held as closely as possible without being uncomfortable or painful. In a way, the thief wished he could stay here forever, in his - their - soul room, with nothing but Ryou here with him. But he knew that was impossible, because even though the voices had temporarily stopped whispering to him, they would never truly be gone.

The boy sighed in relief as he looked at the thief in his arms. Bakura looked so calm and composed as he stared into his eyes, causing the boy to go scarlet. "K-Kura..." he whispered before biting his lower lip. He never really understood how the thief king looked so alluring- so beautiful in his eyes. Needless to say, the former tomb robber had his charisma working to his advantage and it was something that Ryou noticed from the very beginning. The boy traced the thief's face, starting from the corner of his crimson eyes to his heart-shaped jaw line. The boy's lips were parted, his ragged breathing still going unnoticed but the boy had a sense of calm within him that was not present moments earlier. A soft sigh of contentment passed through his plump lips as he looked at Bakura lovingly. As much as he would have wanted to stay in his arms, Ryou knew that this was not the time to beg for him to stay. He knew that if he requested it, Bakura would remain by his side until Ryou 'falls asleep' and simply slip out when the thief was sure that he was already out.

Unfortunately for Ryou, he knew that he would have to leave his arms- sooner rather than later so with an uneasy groan, he sat up. "You should wake up soon," he whispered with obvious reluctance in his voice. With another pull, he managed to give the white-haired thief a lingering kiss before closing his eyes and simply relishing the moment. The moment he opened his eyes again, the boy realized that he was once again alone in the middle of the twisted soul room that they both created. An eerie smile graced his lips as he stood up. Eventually, he found himself clothed in the exact same thing that Bakura was wearing- fitting his body perfectly. He looked around, noticing that the voices had warmed up to him as well as the so-called spirits of Kul Elna started to bug his thoughts as well. "Relax, Spirits. We shall get to that eventually. I can serve as your host for now. Please... Just don't harm Bakura even for just a while."


	42. Spirits

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Apologies for taking so long, dearies. I had thesis meetings left and right and let's just say that most of my social life was eaten up by either sleep or school... or Monopoly. Let's just say my friends and I were totally addicted to Monopoly and not that 'fake' Monopoly with cards and stuff. We were addicted to the boardgame- complete with fake money and dice! Funfuntimes~

I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's all about the rather short period of time wherein Ryou's the Spirit of the Ring. A little bit of _Fetishshipping (Yami no Malik x Malik Ishtar x Yami no Bakura) _action here~ Yay for action? xD

We don't own YGO. No, we don't. Stop making us admit it. It hurt too much. D:

**Chapter Warnings****:** Sexytime!Fetishshipping

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**Chapter 42:** Spirits.

When Bakura's eyes opened, he realized that he was entirely alone. It was a little bit eerie, being in this house with nobody else around, and especially when Ryou was absent. He couldn't ever remember a time being on his own in here, because even when he would go out on his own before, he would always return Ryou to control of their shared body and would just watch from the sidelines. Now, however, it was entirely different. He wanted to shove Ryou back into control but he wasn't quite sure how to do that in this case. Really, it should have been the same as before, but it wasn't. Bakura wasn't taking up residence in a body that wasn't his, this one was his own and he couldn't manipulate it the same way he could Ryou's. "...I hate this," he mumbled to himself.

When Ryou began seeing things through the eyes of the thief king, things started to get somewhat scary for him. Well, it was not exactly frightening but it did creep him out as the fact that he was the Spirit of the Ring was simply beginning to sink in. He shook his head before materializing beside Bakura. The boy's cheeks were still a little flushed but it was not as apparent as it would be when he still had his own body. Instead, his pale cheeks grazed with a hint of rose were merely translucent from the thief king's point of view. Oh how he wanted to touch the thief king so much but he managed to keep his composure to himself- blushing shyly beside him. "B-Bakura... The Ring," he whispered coyly before looking away from him. It was still a wonder as to how this boy could change his personalities in such a short amount of time. Well, he was not that sane enough from the beginning and adding that background to the time he spend with the Spirit of the Ring, one would surely be mad if the person would still stay sane after those experiences. "Use the Ring and maybe we can find it already?"

When his Hikari appeared next to him, the thief looked up and smirked. "I was getting to that, Yado..." Immediately his mouth shut and he trailed off, looking away with a saddened expression. "Guess I can't really call you that anymore, can I?" He sighed and shook his head, deciding to focus on the Millennium Ring so that they could find where Ryou's body was. Without even thinking about what he wanted to find, the Ring began to glow and the pointers already began to lift and point towards something.

To his surprise, Bakura found that the Ring was pointing to... well, himself. He blushed deeply, eye twitching as he thought about why the hell that would happen. It wasn't as if... He closed his eyes and willed the thing to stop pointing. Bakura's mind was of course running off in a hundred different directions. When he actually figured out what the Ring meant, he couldn't help but growl. "That wasn't what I meant," he said as if he were addressing the Item itself. "I don't need to find Ryou; he's right here. It's his body that I want to find."

He was not really sure as to why Bakura was acting this way. Why was the Ring pointing to his body in the first place? He blinked once- twice- before leaving his side. Oddly enough, it started to point as to where he was going, possibly causing the thief to get even more flustered than what he was already. Ryou parted his lips in slight amusement, his cheeks turning rosy once more as the gears in his mind started to work once more. Just like that, he walked towards the former tomb robber, the needles 'pressing' against his torso. "You're looking for what you want the most and it is... pointing at me," he stated, looking at the thief king. The look on Bakura's face was odd- something that he has not seen before. He brought his hand on the other's cheek- as if he was caressing it somewhat before jumping back a little- blushing deeper than the thief king. "You're blushing, Bakura..." he whispered. When was the last time that Bakura called him his Yadonushi? He knew that Bakura was only using it as a force of habit but Ryou was absolutely happy that he was referring to Ryou using his name.

He tried again, but it was still pointing towards himself. He understood why, what the Ring was showing him, but that in itself was frustrating. He wanted to find the boy's body, and while he knew it was Ryou himself that Bakura wanted most, he didn't want to admit it nor did he want to find out what he already knew. What was the point of using the Ring if it was just going to show you towards something you already knew the whereabouts of?

He closed his eyes again. "We're going to need to figure out a way around this," he muttered. For some reason the Item wasn't responding to him properly like it usually would.

It made Ryou realize that it had also been a while since he called him his master- or even adding a prefix to anything. Sure, he would call him as Kura or Baku when he was feeling playful but that was it. They were already at the level that they were using each other's names and no longer using crutch names for each other. He shook his head as if to get rid of the awkward air around them but to no avail. He was still blushing. Bakura was still blushing. And the Millennium Ring was still pointing to his spirit. The boy held the Millennium Ring at hand before thinking of his own body. Soon enough, the item started to glow once more- as if waiting for his command. "Look for it," he whispered, knowing that the Ring understood as to what he meant in the first place. Just like that, the needles started to turn to a different direction- only to die down the moment they started hearing ruckus around them. Bakura frowned when the Ring started to do as Ryou asked. To be honest, he was completely confused. Normally it would have responded exactly the way he would have wanted it to, but this time it just... wouldn't. He couldn't explain it, though in the back of his mind he was wondering if the true ownership had transferred to Ryou somehow. Or maybe it was just because it was the boy that was now the resident Spirit inhabiting the ancient artifact. Either way, it was a little bit discouraging, but he didn't have time to focus on that right now seeing as the pointers had begun to dangle beneath the Millennium Ring, having gone limp from the cut-off of energy.

He looked up and saw Marik standing up. Bakura's eyes narrowed into a glare, but the Egyptian didn't seem to notice. The thief draped the Ring over his neck again to try and hide the fact that he had been using it - it didn't seem like Marik was consciously trying to cut off the dark energy of the Millennium Ring, so if he didn't realize what was going on, that would be more beneficial to him. He had a terrible feeling about all this, though, like something was going to happen, or as if everything had already gone horribly wrong and they just hadn't realized it yet.

Ryou cleared his throat- even though Bakura was the only one who could see him as of the moment. "Maybe we should do our search in the morning..." he suggested but at the same time, he wanted to know as to why Marik's body was not there in the first place. Did the dark lord take it as well? Upon further inspection, he realized that Seto's body was not there as well. It made him even more curious than what he already was. Marik groaned the moment he realized that he was a spirit again- something that he had experienced back in Battle City and it was something that he was not exactly looking forward to doing in a long time. A frown was on his lips as he wrapped his 'arms' around the other Marik. "Where's Ryou?" he cooed, glaring at the thief king standing in front of them. Was this some sort of twisted joke? Where was Ryou and where was his body? It was all too confusing for him but Malik knew that he was going to get his answer soon enough- and his other self would surely help him get it, right?

Yami Marik heard his other self speak, and knowing that Bakura would not be able to hear the dominant personality's question, he repeated it. "I don't see Yadonushi anywhere," he remarked, sounding mildly interested. "What happened to him?" He was smirking, knowing that if Bakura did not know the reason behind Ryou's absence, then it would likely make him uneasy and upset him much the way that Malik himself was getting agitated. True enough, the personality standing beside him, unseen to everyone else, seemed more bothered than he should have been. _Calm down, will you?_ He thought, hoping that Malik could hear him. _I told you I'd let you have him, and I meant it._

Bakura's glare hardened almost imperceptibly, but now he was grinning. This might prove to be entertaining, after all. _Don't say anything. I'm going to have a bit of fun with them, all right?_"He's gone," the thief whispered. "As you can see. I'll leave the details to your imagination, but I'll tell you that my dear Yadonushi isn't with us anymore." He ignored any reaction Ryou may have had to this little game. It was for him too, after all. If Marik believed that Ryou was truly dead, then perhaps he would leave Bakura alone, or even better, give up on Ryou. It wasn't possible right now for Marik to find out otherwise, as Bakura would be able to use the Millennium Ring to cancel out the effects of the Rod attempting to look into his mind - and Ryou's, of course. There was no way that the Egyptian could verify the truth of what was being said... not yet, anyway.

Marik frowned. "Is that so?" He asked, but overall he sounded uninterested, or just the slightest bit disbelieving. _What do you think of that, Malik? _He asked. It was unlikely that Bakura had gotten rid of Ryou, unless something had happened in the moments they had been asleep. He wasn't even sure how long they had been asleep for, come to think of it. For all he knew it could be minutes, hours, or even days later than when he had been knocked unconscious.

The spirit of the Ring did as he was asked, watching the Egyptian in front of him- seemingly conversing with someone else. He could vaguely remember the conversation Bakura and Zorc had when he was forced back to his Soul Room moments ago but he knew that the dark lord said something about Malik being in the same situation as he was in. Ryou frowned for a while, noticing that the other Marik looked somewhat agitated. He could barely notice it- mostly because Marik was usually stoic or had that psychotic grin on his face. He sighed before squinting his eyes. Upon further inspection, he could see a fuzzy collection of specks looming behind the other Marik. Ryou tilted his head, wondering if Malik could see him in the first place. With a shrug, he concluded that it would be better if he were to stay in their soul room for the time being- especially if Marik was using the Millennium Rod on them to find out if the thief king was lying in the first place. _'Call me when you need me,'_ he muttered before disappearing from Bakura's side.

Bakura had actually been completely unaware that Malik was still around. He couldn't hear his voice and couldn't see him, until suddenly he was just... there. He almost jumped in surprise, but managed to hold back. The only sign of his shock was a slight rising of his eyebrow. He was about to question what had made the Egyptian appear so suddenly when it dawned on him: "You used the Millennium Rod," he mumbled. "Very clever." If the current holder of the Item were to use it so subtly as to just set up a link between them, then that would be enough to show that Malik was here and could communicate with him. On the other hand, Bakura could still set up any barriers to protect him from something that was not beneficial to him - like preventing them from discovering Ryou's spirit inside his mind, for example. Marik just smirked, nodding. He didn't say anything - there was no need to. Now that his dominant personality had struck up a conversation, he no longer had to do anything but make sure they could continue their little talk. If he had to jump in somewhere, he would, but otherwise it was safe to just wait for the orders from his lighter counterpart.

Malik tried to grip harder around Marik's waist, now unable to stay in one place. What did Bakura mean when he said that he was gone? Ryou could not possibly be dead, can he? The boy shook his head, realizing a major flaw in Bakura's little game. It was actually the fact that there was not a hint of remorse on the thief's face when he had said it- unlike what had happened in Ancient Egypt. Malik was actually thankful that he was able to know what had happened through Marik's memories- though the darker being mostly remembered about his lust after the thief king. "If he was truly gone, then, he would not be here. He would be out and about looking for him. What exactly is this game of his?" the dominant personality commented before sighing. "I could have sworn I saw Ryou too- beside Bakura when you woke up. You said something about Zorc being here, right?" the tomb robber stated- mostly because he knew that Bakura would not be able to hear things clearly, right?

Well, that was Malik's line of thought until it dawned to him that during the Battle City tournament, his darker personality was able to hear him just fine. Malik was quick on his feet though, walking towards Bakura before stopping just right in front of him. "Listen to me, tomb robber. I will have Ryou- whatever it takes! And when I do, I will make sure that you will spend your afterlife being chewed by Ammut for the rest of eternity," Malik threatened, looking in those crimson eyes of his. The more he looked at Bakura, the more it pissed him that Ryou was around. Maybe it was because he was just that desperate to get the boy back with him. He turned around to look at his other self. "Judging from this present arrangement, I think it's safe to say that we should be off to find our bodies. I don't think that it would be that hard to locate them," he said with a shrug. Unfortunately for the three people in the room, they did not really want to work with each other but the circumstance did nothing but force them to help each other.

He rolled his eyes. "You know, you've never been any fun," he remarked. The smirk came back to the thief's face presently, as if he didn't really care about this at all. He knew that, right now, he had an advantage over the two Egyptians, and that was enough to keep him satisfied. He laughed. "You think so, do you? Well, I'm not going to die any time soon. And besides, I'm pretty sure Ammut has been waiting to get a taste of me for millennia. I already know that if I were ever to die he'd have his greedy jaws around me until the end of time, so the idea isn't new to me." In fact, he rather liked thinking that he had been able to run from his fate thus far and would continue to do so. But he didn't need to mention that; he was getting a little bit too ahead of himself for now.

Ryou, on the other hand, was not really doing as well as he wanted in their soul room. He was curled up on a bed he conjured up, a heavy quilt on top of him. He bit his lower lip before sighing. _'If I was truly gone, would you care?'_ he thought, only to realize that the Soul Room was broadcasting it for the Ring Keepers to hear. Ryou did not mind though. He knew at the back of his head that Bakura would do anything and everything to bring him back... Right?

Without making any indication to the two Egyptians standing across from him, Bakura responded to his Hikari. _Of course I would care! And you'll never truly be gone, Ryou. Don't you remember what I promised?_ Sometimes the boy could be way too self-depreciating. Maybe this spell of time in which he inhabited the thief's body would be beneficial to him, make him feel like he had some kind of power, because really, everything that Bakura could do to his host when he was a spirit, Ryou could now do to him. He just had to find out how. The idea was a bit intimidating, of course, but if it would end up being good for Ryou, he didn't mind it. Bakura had never been one to care all that much about casual self-sacrifice as long as it paid off in the end. He smirked. _You can come out now, by the way. I'll make sure they don't see or hear you... unless you want them to, of course._He couldn't say he liked that idea, but hey, it wasn't his decision now, was it?

He halted for a moment, shaking his head and glaring at Marik. "Hey, hey, what do you mean 'we'? There's no reason for us to work together. You can find your body by yourself. But then again..." He held up the Millennium Ring by the cord of his neck, eyes narrowing. He was up to something, obviously. "This will make it a lot easier, won't it? I suppose I could lend you my services... but I'll have to get something in return, of course." He eyed the Millennium Rod with interest, but his eyes were glinting in a way that suggested that wasn't the only thing he intended to get. It may even have just been out of habit that he looked at the Rod, after having pursued it and the other Items for so long. Marik's expression darkened when he noticed that, but he was grinning somewhat. _I like the sound of that..._he thought. But, again, it wasn't his choice to make, so he wouldn't just jump into this little bargain. He could be patient when he wanted to, and after all, he was mainly doing this for his other half.

The white-haired Hikari tilted his head to the side as he looked at his darker counterpart. Of course he was appreciative that the darkness was so willing to keep him by his side but Ryou still felt a little out of place. Maybe it was because he was in the middle of a room full of evil conniving Egyptians hell-bent in the destruction of the world (though he couldn't say that he was the most innocent person in the world. A frown was present on his lips as he looked at the thief king, _'You act as if you need me so much,'_ he said through the link before frowning once more. There was something about the thief king that was off- mostly because he was usually so hard and stoic about these things but when the thief king talked to him, he sounded like he truly cared for the boy. Alright, maybe he was not really that hard on Ryou but still, the boy wasn't really used to this kind of attention- especially coming from him. _'You sound like you really...'_Ryou stopped talking as he looked away from the thief. He didn't doubt the thief king- he was just really shocked with the way he was acting.

At Ryou's words, Bakura performed the mental equivalent of shrugging. It wasn't that big of a deal to him, the fact that he was showing some kind of emotion like that, but he could see why it was such a surprise to Ryou. He wasn't even doing all that much. _I'm not acting any different from usual,_ he explained. _You can just feel what I'm not showing since now you're actually a part of me._ It had been exactly the same when he was the spirit inhabiting Ryou's body. Hiding his emotions while feeling Ryou's had always been a game of some sort, only now they had completely switched roles and Ryou was just learning the rules now. He continued: _I could always feel everything you felt. I still can, since you haven't figured out how to hide them from me at such a close proximity yet. When you were my host, I made sure you never knew exactly what I felt or what was on my mind._

Malik could not help but roll his eyes the moment the thief king started to talk about what he wanted in return. Most likely, he would want his Millennium Rod back and probably, he would ask him to stop going after Ryou (like that was ever going to happen in the first place). He sighed in frustration before nodding. "I'll help you find Yadonushi's body too. From the looks of it, you won't be able to use the Millennium Ring when we're blocking your powers. A temporary truce?" he asked before tilting his head to the side. In truth, he too wanted a taste of that thief king- more than what he got from that act that they displayed in front of Yuugi and his friends. Soon enough, the lighter half displayed himself in front of the two, watching them with those sad eyes of his. "Why so glum, Ryou?" he asked, before trying to move towards the boy though it looked like it was not going to happen anytime soon. With a soft huff, the Egyptian folded his arms and asked Marik to stop his control over the thief king.

At that moment, the pointers started to move, pointing to a certain location. Ryou looked giddy- utterly excited to know if he could get his body back. Unfortunately, when the two dark being finally reached the direction as to where the pointers were pulling them towards, it was the body of the Egyptian that was found instead of Ryou's. A sigh escaped his lips- it was very subtle but the boy knew that Bakura would notice those little things about it. The thief was one to notice the small things that he does- or at least that was what Ryou was thinking. Before he knew it, he noticed that the Egyptian's body started to move, a smirk forming on Malik's lips. "I guess we'll have to get Yadonushi's body next?" he whispered before grinning now, walking towards Bakura. Malik did not care if they were still in an alleyway or the fact that it was past midnight already. His arms wrapped around the thief king's, his tongue grazing the thief's neck before nuzzling him a little, "Let him out so that we can have some fun with him right now? I can easily ask Marik to stop you from using the Millennium Ring. I don't think that you can handle both of us at the same time."

Reluctantly, the thief agreed to this temporary truce. Hopefully this would pay off in the end, and as it was it would likely be impossible to get away on his own for any amount of time as long as Marik and his other self were around. So without hesitating (and still not confirming or denying the fact that they were now temporarily going to be working together), Bakura began to use the Millennium Ring to find what they were looking for. He wasn't surprised that they found Malik's body first, since he had assumed Zorc was still possessing Ryou's body and was probably not going to give it up quite so easily. He noticed the disappointment coming from Ryou without looking at him, having felt it through their link and just barely having heard the soft sigh that escaped him. He wanted to give the boy's hand a reassuring squeeze but knew it would be futile_. We'll find your body soon. Don't worry._The Ring was already pointing in another direction, and Bakura made to follow where it was leading, but suddenly was stopped when the pointers fell limp once more. He whipped around to face the Egyptians, finding Marik smirking and his light counterpart advancing on him.

When he felt the arms wrapping around him, Bakura growled. He hadn't been expecting this and though it caught him off-guard for a second, he quickly recovered enough to respond. "You obviously haven't seen what I can do without the Ring yet," he hissed. The thief was more than confident in his ability to overpower the two Egyptians on his own (after all, he had needed to survive without the Millennium Ring somehow in Ancient Egypt, especially being a tomb-robbing thief), but curiosity was overwhelming him right now. Besides that, now Malik's darker half was approaching too.

Said man wrapped his arms around his light counterpart and bit the shell of his ear. "Hey, Dominant personality, it's not fair of you to take all the fun for yourself," he crooned. The ex-tomb-keeper moved to Bakura's side where his other self was neglecting, putting his hands on the thief's hips and leaning in to nibble the skin between his shoulder and neck. Against his will, Bakura arched himself a bit for more contact. It was one of the things he hated about having a body: its annoying habit of moving on its own accord. He hated this, but damn, it felt good...

The thief sent a quick, hazy glance at Ryou, trying to tell him that this was not something he wanted or enjoyed. He just couldn't break away, as much as he tried to (admittedly he wasn't trying as hard as he could have been). He sent repeated apologies through their mind link, sincerely wanting to just get out of this position... both for his sake and Ryou's.

There was something very confusing about Bakura- something that was present with Ryou as well. The boy would usually switch from the wilder side of his personality but the moment after, he would come back to that coy bundle of nerves that Bakura recognized as his host. The thief had this trait as well for no matter how tender he may seem, he would go back to that tactical side of him- cold and unfeeling. Ryou loved both sides of his thief- mostly because he just learned to accept that he was his cynical crook. The boy took pride that this tomb robber was someone that he could finally call his own- finally claim as his. The boy was usually so scared of attaching himself to anything or towards anyone for that matter- mostly because he was scared that he would lose them in the future. Somewhat, there was this sick and twisted pleasure of knowing that the thief would never leave his side- even if he so wills it. Ryou was about to retreat to the recesses of the Millennium Ring when he heard that oh-so familiar groan of pleasure coming from the thief's lips.

It was the same groan. It was the same movements. It was the same pleasure.

Not to get it wrong; Ryou did catch a glimpse of the thief's regretful gaze but it was something that the boy could not easily condone. Somehow, when the thief did these acts with the dark lord, this pang of jealousy would hit him dead on. There would be something at the pit of his stomach that would churn every moment he tries to recall the incident in Egypt but he brushed if off as nothing- considering that he could feel what Bakura was feeling at the time. But now that he could clearly hear the thoughts of the thief king with no thoughts barred, it scared Ryou to the core. His eyes narrowed down at the sight of the three Egyptians- Bakura pressed against the wall as the two tan keepers of the Rod ravaged every exposed skin that they could find. Somehow, a sickening feeling started to form within Ryou- something that truly made him utterly angry at what he was seeing. His heart was already breaking, tears trickling down his cheeks as he watched Malik lift up the thief's shirt a bit before drawing some circles on it. The tomb keeper would move towards the thief's ear, whisper something before he started sucking on the lobe. Malik could not help but laugh the moment he felt Bakura buck against them. Their hands would eventually wander around Bakura's body- their hips grinding against them, taunting the thief. "Looks like Yadonushi's been neglecting you," he cooed before leaving a mark on the thief's pale neck.

No matter how much Bakura was struggling to get away from the two Egyptians (and now he really was fighting it, too), nothing that he did would allow him that tiny opening to get away. It took him a little bit too long in realizing that Marik had used the power of the Millennium Rod to hold him in place as best he could, paying special attention to release enough power to suppress those of the Ring. He knew that when the thief was distracted like this he wouldn't be able to focus enough to use it the right way - he had two very skilled distractions working on him, after all. And even though he may not have wanted this, it wasn't easy for him to suppress the urges he had in this still-new body. He had been dead for far too long.

The realization hit Ryou and it hit him hard. Even after all of those reassuring words and even after all those sessions spent with Bakura, he was still uncertain about all these. He did not know what would happen in the future and a tiny part of him somewhat hoped that the thief would manage to pull them through in the end- when he felt like all hope would be lost. But with what he was seeing, Ryou was absolutely horrified. "B-Baku... ra..." he stated before the Millennium Ring started to glow. At that moment, the two Egyptians were immediately pushed away from the thief's body, Bakura's body shifting a little. The look was somewhat deceiving- still having the same physical characteristics but if one would look closely, there were some minor differences regarding this person. The thief's wild hair was somewhat tamer all of a sudden. His eyes slowly changed in shape- becoming larger in size. The color of his eyes remained a deep shade of crimson but there was a hint of innocence within them at the same time. What truly shocked Ryou was the feeling that he got after he finally took over the thief's body.

The next thing Bakura knew, he was suddenly overcome by this amazing sensation, as if his whole being was being torn apart. He had never experienced this before, but he was quick to realize that his body was being possessed. Funny, he never knew that it felt this way when he tore Ryou out of control of his own body, but it wasn't at all as painful as he imagined. Sure, there was the initial shock and a few moments where he could see and feel everything that was going on, but not react (as if he were trapped), but right after that everything peacefully dulled out. It wasn't unpleasant in the least... until he opened his eyes again, that is. Bakura found himself in his - their - soul room, unable to see or hear or feel anything that was going on outside of his. He was screaming in protest but it was impossible to get Ryou to hear him. For all intents and purposes, he was 'asleep', dead to everything around him. That was the truly terrifying part. Yet still, he had no trouble tearing someone away from their bodies even after experiencing this horror. In fact, it just made him want to do it to Marik and his other self even more.

He felt a distinct shift, and then suddenly the walls around him begin to shift and melt until they became something else, once again becoming the dirty, bloodstained walls that Bakura had created himself. The voices came back, assaulting him, yelling at him and scolding him for trusting this boy and allowing him to replace them. Now he was paying the price. Cuts began to reopen on the thief's temporary form, somehow managing to hurt him despite his lack of a physical form. His fingers were coated in his own blood, just as they had been many times before. He couldn't stop himself: Bakura began to smear the crimson liquid up and down his arms, rubbing himself as if trying to warm himself. He fell to his knees, eyes wide, letting the spirits of Kul Elna have their way with him, filling him not with their essence, but with their thoughts and desires and hatred.

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_'I-Is this how it feels to take over someone's body..? It makes me feel powerful.'_ He could not understand it quite clearly but the shadows around them did not exactly scare him anymore. He crouched down towards Marik before taking the Millennium Rod in his hands. "You have pissed me off for the last time, Marik," he spoke slowly. At that moment, their conjoined soul rooms began to collapse- leaving behind two separate Soul Rooms in its place. _'As it should be,'_he thought before unsheathing the Millennium Rod's blade. The tip of the Rod was immediately pressed against Marik's neck, drawing a small amount of blood on the former tomb keeper's neck. "You've taken everything away from me. My innocence... My happiness... My thief," the boy whispered dangerously. But before he could do anything else, Malik placed a hand on the Millennium Rod, smirking at him. "I've killed someone before this, Marik. I'm not unwilling to do it again," the boy warned, being someone who did not leave empty threats. Marik was watching with interest. He didn't mind so much that his advances had been delayed by Ryou's appearance since he was rather confident that he would have the thief king in the end. No, not just him, but whatever else he decided he wanted along the way. Call him overconfident, but the former tomb keeper knew how to change things to fit to his advantage, though he knew his abilities paled in comparison to Bakura's. He couldn't single-handedly come back from some things, while the thief seemed to have that uncanny ability. It was one of the things that Marik wanted from him - that same ability to bring himself back from the dead on his own. He smirked. "Kill either one of us, Yadonushi. I want to see the way you react to the bloodstains on your hand... I want to feel that knife slide into me and tear me apart, but not before I finish with your precious parasite."

Malik grinned at the threat that he received, tracing the boy's jaw before moving so that their lips were millimeters apart. "If you could really do it, hurt me." It was then when Ryou noticed that Malik had shifted the Millennium Rod so that it was pressing against his heart. Somehow, time around him was going slowly- slower than minutes ago. His eyes were wide in shock when the tomb keeper pulled him closer, caressing his cheek while looking at him psychotically, "I wouldn't hurt you like what he did... I will never take on another lover. You're enough for me, Ryou," he whispered, taking the boy's hand in his before kissing the back of it. At that moment, the sound fleeted through his head, feeling somewhat drained after a while. He laughed at his other self's words. "He's right," the Egyptian said. "You're not enough for Bakura. You'll never be able to satiate his hunger. You're nothing but a distraction - soon enough he'll discard you, the moment his revenge begins to seem possible again. It's the darkness that he craves." He delighted in the way that Bakura's crimson eyes seemed to widen in horror and well up with tears. Ryou had once again come to his breaking point. The cracks were apparent, always increasing; it was time to finally smash the boy to pieces. Unfortunately, he never got the chance, as Bakura was suddenly put back in charge of his own body. The thief had felt an unpleasant jolt dragging him out of his soul room, tearing the laughter and hating whispers of the spirits away from him, but not without a significant amount of pain. It was quite the contrast to the earlier sensation of being pulled away from reality.

_'Enough... I-I'll never be enough for him?'_ he thought as his eyes threatened to procure more tears. _'I told you, little Yadonushi... No one will ever care for you. You're not worth the trouble,'_ the dark lord let out a curt laugh when he realized that Bakura could not hear him at all, _'But I might be willing to just gamble on you for once.'_ The boy did not understand this at all until he felt that painful detachment from his other self. The boy let out a strangled yell along with the thief's name and at that moment most of the boy's soul was dragged somewhere else with only a lingering part left within the Millennium Ring. The sealed soul within the item was immaterial though- nothing that the thief could use to communicate with his lighter half. Ryou was truly gone and Bakura was alone.


	43. Separation

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hello faithful readers! I really should not be uploading this at a random time and I really should be doing something else right now(like writing for the collab-story that I'm doing with Chiba-kun) but I have to take my mind off something. Things have been so hectic recently and I find myself sleeping in most of the time. So with this, I apologize for the late updates and I shall try my hardest to post chapters weekly again.

This chapter is short. I think this is the shortest chapter ever, but this chapter includes a lot of hints about the climax of this story. If you squint really hard, you'll see that the end is in the horizon. About seven chapters left, methinks.

Oh! And belated happy easter to you guys! :) Super late, I know. But better late than never, yeees? :D

I wish we owned YGO. Can we please have it for Easter? :D

**Chapter Warnings****:** Implied!Non-Consensual moment (But really, from the point of view of the other person, he thought it was consensual).

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**Chapter 43:** Separation.

The absence of the boy's soul did not go missed by Bakura. He didn't hesitate for even a second; as soon as he was in control of his own body he tapped into the powers of the Millennium Ring and the Rod in his hand, using it to hold the tomb-keepers in place while the Ring began to point in the direction of the thing he wanted most - once again, it was pointing to where Ryou was. He just had to follow it. The thief set off running, not wanting to waste a single second of the time he had left. Malik and his other self had already held him back long enough.

When it started raining, Bakura had looked up at the sky in surprise. He considered going home for a moment, but had ended up deciding not to. He didn't have time to waste like usual; he knew that he had to get moving and find Ryou now, if only because of what Zorc had said before this whole mess had started. And, truth be told, he was still on edge because of being shoved into his soul room with the spirits of Kul Elna once more. This was a welcome distraction, but it didn't keep his mind off what went on then and in the past. In a way, he was being forced to choose now, and that was something he didn't want. It may have been childish, but Bakura was willing to delay the moment where he had to choose until the last possible second. Otherwise he may not be able to take this.

He didn't even notice how late it was. The night was not discomforting to him in the least, even with the rain. Sure, it was uncomfortable getting wet like this, but if he thought about it the rain was a blessing in a way. Maybe not so much now, but it had been incredibly rare in Egypt, and when it had come... He shook his head. No, the rain was not good now. It was just annoying. At least now there was a smaller chance of people being out and about to see him and what he was doing... but then again, it wasn't like he was out attacking people or stealing from them like usual. Still, it was kind of comforting. Yet he wasn't getting anywhere with this! The Ring's pointers kept changing the direction they were pointing in, like it couldn't decide where Ryou was. Maybe the boy was moving? When it finally seemed to settle somewhere, the thief realized that he was in front of Yuugi's home. He scowled. He knew that Ryou wasn't here - he couldn't feel him at all. So what other option did he have now? Bakura reluctantly stopped the flow of energy to the Millennium Ring. It wasn't going to work for him right now in the way he wanted it to, so what was the point of trying to use it?

The rain had stopped by now and the first lights of the morning were starting to come over the city. Bakura was freezing, but he wasn't tired. If anything, he was just all the more determined to find his Hikari, but now he really had no idea how. The possibility that Ryou might actually have gone home occurred to the thief, so he decided to head in that direction. It was actually quite a distance away (when had he gone all the way to the opposite side of town?), so it would take about an hour and a half to get home. On the way, he was a little bit surprised when the Millennium Ring started to spontaneously glow again, pointing in the direction he had just come from. For a moment or two the thief stared at it, puzzled, until he realized that maybe it had finally started cooperating with him. Unfortunately, by that time it had stopped glowing again. He tapped into it once more, only to find it pointing in yet another direction. Bakura decided to go the way it had pointed on its own. After walking running a few minutes, he slowed down. _This is the way to his school... _he thought absently. Yes, he definitely recognized this area. Maybe Ryou was going to school?

_I can't go there, though,_he thought. The boy's friends were still unaware that he was alive, and besides, what would he do if someone confronted him while Ryou was around? Hell, he didn't even know if the boy was back in his own body. There truly was nothing he could do now... Unless somehow he was seen only by the one person that he wanted to find him. That too was impossible, though. If he hid, nobody would see him, and if he came out in the open, everyone would. The only option was to wait for the boy to come out on his own, then... What? Grab him? Pull him aside where they couldn't be seen? It wasn't the best plan, but it was all he could do for now. At least he had time to figure something else out now.

He didn't reach the outside of Domino High until after he knew class had started. The longer he took to think over his little idea, the more he disliked it. He bowed his head and sighed, wondering if this was going to be enough. _I understand what you did,_ he thought, knowing that these thoughts wouldn't reach his Hikari (the link between them had been cut off completely now). His thoughts weren't meant for the boy, anyhow - no, they were meant for the being that tore them apart like this. _Would you be willing to settle with me, Lord Zorc? Or have I hurt you too deeply for that?_

* * *

The boy snapped his eyes open only to hear that powerful groan coming from the young CEO above him. Suddenly, he felt a sudden tinge of electricity running through his spine as he felt a sudden unwanted intrusion. The pain coming from Kaiba's movements simply proved that this was not a dream. He could feel his body reacting to said movement, letting an unwanted groan escape his lips. He did not want this. Only one person was supposed to touch him this way.

Only Bakura was supposed to touch him this way.

It did not take long before Seto let out a powerful moan, coaxing Ryou to finish as well. The white-haired boy felt his body shudder with guilty satisfaction, hearing himself cry out in wanton pleasure. Their chests heaved fast as their lungs tried to do their best to pump the air into their system. Ryou looked up to see the piercing cerulean stare gazing back at him.

Before he could even react to anything, he was kissing the businessman with so much fervor and passion. It was at that moment that Ryou realized that he did not have any control over his body. _'I-I don't want this, Zorc-sama,'_ he thought, trying his best to pull away from Seto but he found his actions to be futile. He willed his body to stop moving- to stop kissing him but the dark lord's chuckle simply resonated in his head.

His head rested on Seto's chest, clutching. He wanted to cry but even at the moment of absolute despair, he did not find any tears begging to fall. The dark lord was cruel for he did not even let Ryou have the comfort of tears.

He just had sex with Seto Kaiba.

He did not know what was worse: the fact that Zorc's trap worked impeccably (possibly meaning that his former employer held certain feelings that he did not want to delve into) or the fact that his body was used againfor the dark lord's benefit. Whatever it was, Zorc knew that he had just claimed another pawn for him to use. A knock was heard from the tall doors of the CEO's room. The room itself was large and it looked like it could fit 20 people easy. Roland walked in moments later, a clipboard at hand as he started to list the problems that they had encountered for the day. Ah yes, the daily Midnight report that Seto requested. Kaiba had thought nothing when he had been intruded upon, knowing that he wouldn't be seen since this routine was so usual and he was rarely looked at when spoken to in the first place. So he just listened with mild detachment and stroked Ryou's hair, thinking about what they had been doing. He still hadn't had enough, but once again things had shifted so that now they just felt... different. He couldn't explain it. He put it aside as it just being Ryou's strange kind of charm - he had heard things from people, and though he normally paid no attention to rumors (especially this one as it had seemed ridiculous), there had been a mild one going around about 'Bakura-kun's split personality.' The girls at school often had a way of explaining things like that and bullies had generally started avoiding Ryou after his first few weeks at school for no apparent reason, though some of them did act scared. Maybe there was more to this rumor than meets the eye, but Kaiba didn't particularly care. It was just a kind of justification he didn't really care about.

Roland did not bother looking up, assuming that the young CEO was working on his table as always but when he finally reached half of his list, he heard a soft groan coming from Ryou. He lowered the clipboard at hand before widening his eyes. Seto was in bed with someone- that Bakura kid out of all people. "F-Forgive me for intruding, Mr. Kaiba!" he immediately exclaimed, dashing out of the room without another word.

They were soon let alone again and Kaiba let out an agitated sigh. He wasn't thrilled that he had been discovered with a bedmate - especially a male, and one that he went to school with, no less! This would be bad if it got out, but there were ways of making sure it was never ever revealed. That could wait, but not for too long. When he finally got the control of his body back, Ryou could only say one thing, "Where exactly am I? What just happened?" Seto looked at Ryou, a little unnerved by the sudden questions. "What do you mean, 'what happened'?" He asked, a little irritably. The white-haired student was the one that had started this whole thing, really, so why was he questioning things? "Are you feeling all right, Bakura?" He didn't look all that great all of a sudden - paler than usual, and it was a bit alarming. Kaiba played it off, though, seeming more irritated than concerned. It was just typical behavior for him.

Zorc's irritation was growing by the minute. Akefia had been always so willing to do anything that Zorc asked of him, albeit the thief's methods were a little unorthodox but he would follow nonetheless. Ryou, on the other hand, was working differently. The dark lord was pissed off at the boy's will power. The boy was so fragile- so easily broken but here he was, holding his own against the dark god himself. Zorc actually thought that Ryou would be so broken by now- shattered from what he was putting him through. But still, even if he did take the boy's light away, it just kept on returning. There was something truly different about Ryou- something that was not present in the other two lights that he has dealt with. Yuugi was someone that he deemed to be the epitome of light but this boy was certainly intriguing to say the least. Maybe he was the best match for his favorite pawn.

But that certainly did not stop Zorc from using the Millennium Ring against the couple. Throughout the night, the dark lord busied himself by simply making sure that the Millennium Ring would lead Bakura towards the Mutou residence. It was not an easy feat to cloak the boy's energy especially with the thief king utterly eager to get his greedy paws on the boy. No, he had to make sure that Ryou was not found until he was certain that Seto was already eating out of the palm of his hands. He did not want to be pushed against the wall again- not when Bakura was just dying to get everything he wanted. Unfortunately for Ryou, what he was experiencing was far worse than what the dark lord was experiencing. It was truly hard to try and keep the thief king away from the Kaiba estate but the boy was having troubles too- particularly with the head of the manor. His eyes failed to meet with Seto's for the fifth time already, even after he heard the young businessman's enraged voice. He slowly turned towards the other, eyes full of sadness and confusion.

_'He thinks that you were the one who started everything, Ryou,'_ the dark lord chided. Bakura was slowly becoming a problem and this was something that Zorc was not willing to put up with. Sure, the thief had two of the seven Millennium Items but the rest were hidden somewhere else. Zorc was thankful that he was able to see through the boy's mind in order to notice that he had left the five Millennium Items in the museum. Zorc immediately grabbed hold of said items before hiding them somewhere in the Kaiba estate. "N-Nothing, K-Kaiba-kun," he stuttered before gripping on the sheets.

* * *

When the sun finally came out the next day, Ryou woke up on Kaiba's bed alone. _'He must've gone to work or school,' he_ thought before looking around. Why exactly was he still here? Shouldn't he have been rescued by his thief king from the clutches of the priest-incarnate? Ryou shook his head at the thought; he had been reading too many fairytales at his spare time and it was obvious that he was hoping for something that was surely not going to happen. Upon further inspection, he noticed that there were some papers on the table. Beside it was a phone and it stated that Ryou only had to request which bread and tea he would like for his breakfast. He blinked before getting the receiver, shocked when someone immediately picked up. "Ah! Mr. Bakura. What would you like for your breakfast? You must hurry soon if you do not wish to be tardy," a voice said at the other end of the line. The man had a thick Italian accent and Ryou could only assume that it was Kaiba's chef. "E-English tea would do... A-And soft r-rolls if it's not too much," the boy said, blushing at the same time. The man at the other end simply laughed in a very amused tone along with a promise that it will come shortly.

The breakfast came in record time. He could not fathom just how well-off the businessman was until he saw several butlers running inside the room to fix the bed and to attend to his every whim. Thank God that he was wearing a robe. Instead of focusing on the bustling people in the room, Ryou decided on focusing on his rolls and tea. While he was eating, a maid came in along with a fresh uniform at hand along with his bag. "H-How did you get those things?" he asked the maid, although he somewhat predicted that Seto had people to do these things for him. The maid simply stated that Roland came by his house only to notice that it was still open and the assistant simply grabbed the items that was needed for class. After a shower and a quick change of clothes (along with the boy constantly declining for the maid's help), the boy walked out of the estate. He was about to walk towards the gate when he was stopped by a car. He was taken aback by the black car beside him when the driver (the same one that almost ran him over before) stepped out.

"I am under strict orders that Ryou Bakura must be brought to his school on time," the driver stated, opening the back seat of the car. Ryou was about to decline when he was ushered in by the driver, stating that he might lose his job if Ryou did not cooperate. _'It looks like this Seto Kaiba truly fancies you, Ryou,'_ the dark lord teased before laughing a little. _'Fancies me? He did not even bother showing up today... Not even a note! I don't even know where he is and he orders people around to care for me? I feel like such a child!'_ he thought, making Ryou think back to the time in Ancient Egypt. Bakura had also taken care of him like this when he had all the gold on him but the boy simply thought that he was showing off at the time. _'What am I thinking? It's not like we're a normal couple or anything...'_ Ryou simply sank in his seat, looking absolutely uninterested as he tried to clear his thoughts.

Suddenly, he saw Bakura walking by a particular alleyway, Millennium Ring at hand. "P-Please, stop the car!" the boy exclaimed and the car came in a screeching halt. He stared at the thief king through the tinted windows and he was about to rush out when he realized what had happened last night with Seto. "Mr. Bakura, you're going to be late." Ryou wanted to run out of the car and simply hug the thief king but he knew that he couldn't. So with a heart full of regret, Ryou simply agreed to being taken to school.

When the boy reached school, everyone looked like deer caught in headlights because Ryou stepped out instead of the young CEO. He stepped on a puddle on his way out of the car, making Ryou realize that it had been raining the night before. _'W-Was Bakura searching for me all night under the rain?'_ he thought as he walked to his lockers. The boy shook his head once more, _'N-No... Bakura's smarter than that, right? He would have gone home when it started raining...'_ he thought as he pushed a book in. It was then when he recalled the thief's promise- his promise that he will not give up on Ryou that easily. _'B-Bakura!'_ he thought as he immediately sprinted for the door only to be blocked by the principal. Ryou took a step back before going back to class.

Yuugi was on his seat, looking disheveled and unruly. From the looks of it, the boy was not able to have a good night's rest. Ryou felt the urge to talk to Yuugi, knowing that he was the only one who would understand everything. "Are you alright, Yuugi-kun?" he asked, noticing the bruises on the boy's neck. He wondered if Atem just bit him too much but even Ryou did not have those marks. In fact, they looked like the marks... Marik inflicted on him. His eyes widened before crouching near Yuugi. "Who did this to you? Who strangled you?" he asked, trying to whisper when all he wanted to do was yell. Ryou was scared. Was this truly Zorc's plan- to destroy the dark's counterparts one by one?

At first, Yuugi didn't even realize that there were other people around, let alone his friends trying to talk to him. When he didn't respond, they all moved away, muttering something about leaving him for now, until he was ready to speak. If he had heard them, he might have been grateful, but as it was, he just couldn't register anything around him... until he noticed Ryou coming into the classroom and try to speak with him. He didn't hear the boy ask him if he was okay. All he heard was the question about what had happened to him. Immediately, Yuugi's eyes filled with tears. He blinked them back, but not before one of them fell from his eyes. He rubbed his eyelids with his sleeve to try and hide the evidence of how hurt he was, but it had already been seen.

"B-Baku... Ryou..." He was able to correct himself. For some reason, now he felt closer to his white-haired friend than ever before. Maybe it was because they technically had gone through the same thing, and if not, then it was similar in any case. "I... last night... s-something was different. He... I... I..." He shut his eyes tight and shivered, unable to stop the soft whimpers from escaping his throat. Jounouchi and Anzu had noticed, and were about to go over there, but were stopped by the teacher coming into the room. They would ask about it later. As for Yuugi, he tried to collect himself. There was a reason he hadn't mentioned his other self's name - he was still in denial, and besides that, he knew that Ryou would understand just who he was talking about. He would understand, better than anyone else would.

He was hoping to get a few more minutes alone with Yuugi- given that they had a lot of things to talk about. Instead, he slid in his seat, bringing out his text book as he tried to appear the least bit interested in the topic at hand. He wanted some time alone with Yuugi but from the looks of it, he was not going to get it done with this Algebra professor talking on and on about integers.

With a loud thud, the white-haired boy's body suddenly collapsed on the classroom floor.


	44. Reconciliation

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hello dearies. I'm not sure if people are still reading or if they have stopped following this story because it has been almost two months since the last update. I have been caught up with a hell lot of things and I have been far too occupied to fix this chapter. This also came out shorter than planned but I thought that a short chapter is better compared to no chapter at all.

Also, please send your appreciation to Chiba-kun too! The link is posted in my profile. Remember that this is a collaboration story and you should give her lots and lots of love too. :)

This chapter contains the long-awaited Ryou-Yuugi confrontation about everything that has happened to them in the past. So yeah, it's a heart-to-heart heartshipping moment. That' a hell lot of hearts.

I also heard that this site has been taking down a lot of M-rated stories as of late. I haven't read a lot of YGO stories as of late but the fandom that I am following has been experiencing that issue. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this story won't get deleted? (Especially since, SPOILERALERT, there are still some smut scenes in the future).

We do not own anything YGO related but Ryou and Bakura totally has our souls. ;3 We hope that you enjoy this story and please leave a review! :)

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**Chapter 44:** Reconciliation

Of course, Yuugi had freaked out considerably when he noticed his friend faint but after a minute and a half, Ryou sat up, groaning. In truth, it was mostly from the fall but the teacher dismissed it as a side effect of suddenly fainting like that. "W-What happened?" he asked, feigning innocence; his big brown eyes fooling everyone. The teacher then started to explain about how he fainted in the middle of class, talking about the side effects of the weather Meanwhile, Ryou's gaze was fixed on Yuugi and when the teacher did not pay attention, another groan passed his lips.

"Mr. Mutou, since you are a good friend of Mr. Bakura, I trust that you can accompany him to the clinic. I'll write you a pass." Yuugi hadn't realized that it had been all an act, so he was visibly shaken when he was told to accompany the boy to the clinic. When they left the classroom and Ryou seemed to return to normal, Yuugi was still shocked. It took him a few minutes to put two and two together, and when he did... "That's not fair," he mumbled to himself. He had been hoping to delay this conversation, but how neither of them really had a choice.

"The pharaoh... hurt you." He wanted to comfort the boy in all means possible- regarding him as the only friend he has ever had in the first place. "Look Yuugi, I'm sorry for what I did in Ancient Egypt. I had to do what I had to do in order to fulfill Bakura's plans..." _'Even though it ended in a major flop,'_ he added in his thoughts. "I believe that this is Zorc's doing. The one controlling Seth's body in Ancient Egypt?" he added before urging the boy in the clinic. Ironically, the nurse called in sick that day, so they had the place to themselves. Sitting on a bed, the boy then turned to Yuugi, "Talk to me Yuugi. I wouldn't know what it's like to have the person I love hurt me like that but my first experience with Marik has taught me enough of forced pleasure."

He mulled over his thoughts in his head as they walked, and when they arrived at the clinic, Yuugi finally knew what he wanted to say. His eyes hard started to tear up on the way here and they had just started to overflow again. "...Yes," he whispered. Yuugi was barely able to bring himself to say it. "A-Atem did this... I was sleeping, then he s-started touching me... I th-thought that he was j-just playing around, so I told him to wait un-until morning..." The boy immediately buried his face in his hands and began to sob uncontrollably, hating that he had to show this in front of Ryou and admit that he had been basically raped by the person he loved the most in his life. "I kn-know it w-w-w-wasn't your fault... I th-thought that something was making you do it, because you aren't l-like that. He isn't either... so... w-why? Why did all this have to happen?" Listening was something that Ryou was an expert on- or at least that was what he told himself throughout Yuugi's speech. He didn't bother interfering in the middle of his small monologue- mostly because he somehow knew that it was coming. Probably because he had shared a mind with Zorc.

He looked down at his feet, standing there for a few moments as he calmed himself down. Soon Yuugi made his way over to a nearby chair and sat down in it, looking up at Ryou. The tears had slowed now, and he wasn't sobbing anymore, but he still didn't feel all that good about himself. "He was talking about going back to where he came from... ending all of this, all because he hurt me... I don't know what to do, Ryou. I don't want him to leave, and if he goes, then I don't know what will happen to..." he trailed off. He was talking about the Spirit of the Ring, of course, but he had no idea what to call him. As far as he knew, the Spirit had no name. "I don't want you to get hurt just because of him... I know what has to happen. He has to go eventually, but I don't want that. And I don't want you to lose something because of it."

Ryou could not help but stand up. He shook his head, knowing that Bakura would surely find a way to go back to Ancient Egypt if the pharaoh does decide to go there. Ryou was being selfish but he just could not bear the thought of being away from the Spirit of the Ring. "H-He's going to probably take me with him if he does go back to Ancient Egypt." If the pharaoh were to leave for the other world, wouldn't that mean that Bakura will go to his final resting place as well?

The boy was certainly not taking this well. The fear of being left behind was slowly getting the better of him to the point that he wasn't thinking things rationally. "H-He wouldn't leave me, Yuugi... B-Bakura loves me! But I... I slept with S-Seto-kun..." he whispered, feeling the need to tell it to someone. At that point in time, the boy lunged towards Yuugi to hug him and hugged him tight he did. The two boys were shaking, both crying for different reasons but at the same time, they both knew what the other was feeling.

Yuugi wanted so badly to apologize for what he'd said, hoping that that might make the boy in front of him stop freaking out like this, but in truth, he was freaking out as well. He knew that what he had said was right, and that it was going to happen eventually, but that did not mean that either of them wanted it. All he could do right now was cling to Ryou in the same way that the he was being held. He couldn't even bring himself to ask about Ryou's apparent affair with Seto Kaiba. Personally, Yuugi would never have guessed that of him. Something bad must have happened to cause that... right?

"I'm sorry, Ryou..." Yuugi whispered. "I'm so, so... s-s-sorry..." Now he was crying again, completely against his will. He wanted to be strong for his friend, for both of them, but it wasn't working out at all. Nothing seemed to be working out these days... and it looked like things were only going to get worse. That was saying a lot, because Yuugi was normally one to look on the bright side of things no matter what. Yet now he couldn't even see the brighter side.

It took a few seconds for Ryou to calm down. But his eyes widened upon seeing a certain thief outside of his school."B-Bakura..." he stuttered, eyes falling on the tired thief. He looked as if he was going to collapse any minute. "Bakura!" he exclaimed this time, his mind shutting off about anything else save for the thief across them. The boy rushed to the other door connecting the Clinic to the field before rushing towards the thief king. He could not stop what his heart wanted.

He was almost not surprised at all when Ryou pulled away from him. In a way, Yuugi was actually happy. He was touched, because he knew how much the thief cared for his Hikari, even to the point where he was looking for him (or so Yuugi assumed - why else would he be there now? The Pharaoh wasn't around). This just gave Yuugi some time alone to think, which was rather nice... at least for now. He would have to go back soon, and it looked like Ryou wasn't going to be coming with him. He left the clinic from the front entrance, making his way back to the school. He would have to think up a good reason for Ryou not coming back to school... but that was if he made it back there in the first place. Yuugi couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He just hoped it didn't come to anything.

* * *

_Would you be willing to settle with me, Lord Zorc? Or have I hurt you too deeply for that?_

Zorc was amused with the way the thief king was acting. "The almighty thief king... Fallen. How does it feel to return to where you came from, Akefia?" the dark lord murmured in his head. Bakura slumped back against the wall he had been leaning on, a little bit dizzy all of a sudden. He hadn't somehow been expecting to hear back from the dark god so soon and especially not this clearly. He growled. "I haven't fallen at all," he hissed. "I'm in the same position I've always been - at a disadvantage, but it's not as if I can't overcome it."

"I'm willing to give you another chance but at the same time, Bakura, I am not willing to let go of Ryou. Let's just say that I've grown attached to him. As of now, I have no qualms of letting you stay with him," he thought before a knowing smirk presented itself on the dark lord's lips. _'Though I highly doubt that the boy would immediately go into your arms after what he has done... Ryou has chosen the worst person to go up against,'_ Zorc thought as a small chuckle managed to escape from his amused lips.

He listened suspiciously at the admission that he could keep Ryou... but of course, there was always a reason behind the dark lord's words, and an even deeper one behind his gifts. Bakura didn't trust this at all. "What's the condition?" He asked. "Or rather, what have I done to deserve this? What has Ryou done to convince you of this? I don't believe you're simply being generous." He had grown too used to the god's tendency to cheat, and having adopted some of these tendencies himself, Bakura felt as if he could understand, at least minimally, what exactly the situation he had gotten himself into was. This was no different - something was going to happen. This was still a kind of bargain, and this time the thief king would gain more than he intended to lose.

"He's near you, Akefia. You might want to get him before someone else does." That statement in itself was very loaded- considering that he was already controlling a certain CEO in going to the High School. The only question was that; who will Ryou choose the moment he was presented by the only two choices: the one who he betrayed or the one he betrayed with?

Bakura smirked again. "You don't really want me to find him, do you?" He asked. Surprisingly, the thief sounded calm and collected, almost arrogant in his tone of voice now. "If you wanted me to find him, you wouldn't have interfered with the Millennium Ring. So what is it you really want from me right now?" The double meaning to Zorc's words hadn't gone unnoticed by the thief, but it wasn't something he was overly concerned with. If Ryou got taken in by someone else, well, it wouldn't be any trouble to get him back. He was the King of Thieves, after all. There wasn't anything in the world he couldn't steal, and that included taking back what already belonged to him.

Zorc looked up once more, noticing that the boy was already on his way towards the thief king. _'This should be interesting indeed,'_he thought while thinking of what to say to the thief king before he left them for now. "The boy has the spirit and the ability to summon me when you fail to do what is asked of you once more. Also, he managed to snatch me another minion. A little bit more graceful than what you usually do but I'm not one to complain. He was busying himself with doing just that while you were looking for him. I just could not stop his progress and let you find him. That's just rude," he stated with a grin present on his face. When the boy finally reached his thief king, the dark lord simply smirked at them before whispering to both of them, "I am a god of my word. I will not come between you two again, my faithful servants." With that, the dark lord left off to completely destroy the soul of the remaining light.

Ryou did not know what to do, exactly. He ran towards the thief, as if an unseen force pulled him towards his beloved. The pull was really strong and yet, Ryou managed to stay on his feet. Funny thing about magnetism though is that no matter what you do to stop it from happening, the magnets will surely find a way to attach themselves somehow and that's exactly what happened. The Millennium Ring on Bakura flashed for a while before it dragged itself towards Ryou.

At that moment, their bodies collided and Ryou just could not stop himself from hugging the thief king. "B-Bakura..." he stuttered, eyes brimming with tears that he tried to stop as much as he could. He pulled away for a second before realizing how flushed the thief was. Bakura was having a hard time standing up properly right now, let alone making any real observations about anything. He had only just noticed Ryou when he had been right in front of him. "Yadonushi..." he mumbled absent-mindedly, like he was pleasantly surprised at seeing him here. It was almost as if he wasn't expecting this at all. He wrapped his arms around the boy's neck and nuzzled into his hair, breathing in deeply. For a moment, he was completely content. But something just felt... off. He couldn't put his finger on it, though, and he wasn't in the right mind to figure it out anyway.

"K-Koi?" he asked before placing a hand on his forehead. It was then when Ryou panicked. Bakura had a high fever and from the looks of it, the sky was about to release another heavy rain soon. He looked around, noticing that no teacher was on prowl outside of the building as he decided to bring the thief back to their loft. He managed to spare Yuugi a solemn look before looking away apologetically. He knew that he had to explain himself after but right now, he had to care for the thief.

Bakura was completely silent as they went home, and remained so as he was stripped and cleaned up. The only movement that he made was with his eyes, watching every single move that the boy made. The boy avoided the thief's eyes at all costs, focusing on him but when he was already cleaning the thief's face (as he did the weirdest thing of starting with the thief's feet while cleaning him up); looking at those crimson orbs was unavoidable. "Stop looking at me like that. Stop looking at me like a lover would. I have been... tainted," he whispered, a pang of guilt brewing inside him more. The cloth was still on Bakura's face as Ryou hovered on top of him. "Just... Stop making me fall in love with you again."

When Ryou spoke, that was when Bakura moved. His eyes were half-lidded as he reached forward and cupped the boy's face in one of his hands. "Ah... I'm not doing anything..." he mumbled. His hand fell away weakly, limply, and Bakura fell back on the bed, closing his eyes. It was getting increasingly more difficult to keep awake. He felt entirely too hot, and not even in the same way that he would get when Ryou would kiss him or touch him. _What's wrong with me now?_He wondered. "Ryou... I..."

But he wasn't able to finish his sentence. As soon as the sound had passed through his lips, an overwhelming wave of fatigue came over him, and Bakura lost consciousness.

* * *

The pharaoh fidgeted in his seat, eyebrow raised as he looked at the person who asked for a meeting anyway. He was still wondering as to what was happening to Yuugi. He was truly scared, trying his best to maintain his cool while he tried to think of Yuugi's welfare at the same time. Somehow, he wondered if Yuugi was truly alright or if he just said that to escape him this morning. _'Aibou, Are you alright?'_ he thought but at the same time, the message was not carried over the mind link. It was not as if the mind link was not established but instead, the pharaoh was in no mood to talk to him. Instead, he focused his attention on the person across him. He did not know why he was being pulled in this room and in the first place, why was he being forced to do something like this? After all, the person he was meeting with was not really that nice. "You wanted to talk to me about Ryou Bakura? I don't exactly know what you mean?" he asked, "What's with the sudden interest in him?"


	45. Manipulation

**Love me so Tender  
**Back in Domino City Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Hey dearies! Another update to start a new month (or to end June for the others). Thank you for the lovely reviews and it always makes us smile to see that you guys are loving this story! :)

No tendershipping in this chapter because it would have been too long if we included the tendershipping part already. So yeah, Chapter 46 will surely be up soon (when my schedule permits it).

Please read, review, and enjoy! :)

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**Chapter 45: **Manipulation

Malik had just walked in the house. Trying to take off the magic of the Millennium Rod was a hard task but thankfully, they managed to get out the bonds. To be honest, they did not break the Rod's magic. Instead, the magic wore off when Bakura collapsed. Malik pulled his darker counterpart playfully until he noticed the room of the two Ring keepers. "Marik! I think Yadonushi's back!" he exclaimed excitedly before pointing at the closed door. A cheshire grin appeared on his lips as he laced his fingers with his other self before pulling him closer. "Maybe, we can have our fun now, Mariku?"

Yami Marik followed after his light counterpart with little interest in what he was doing. Really, right now, he was strangely tired and wanted nothing more than to pull his over-excited Hikari with him to bed. But Malik was going to have none of that, it seemed. No, he was too focused on Ryou right now. "Hm? What, _now_? But they're probably asleep," he muttered.

Marik frowned. "I don't want to play with them now. It's no fun unless you can hear them scream in protest... watch them bleed and cry..." He grinned, looking at something in the distance that was obviously unclear to the other Egyptian. "No, I'd rather have my fun with them while they're awake. You can feel free to molest Ryou in his sleep, though, since I can see it in your eyes that you really won't be able to leave him alone like this." He licked his lips and moved smoothly, like a shadow of a cat, behind Malik to wrap his arms around him. The darker one's tongue slipped past his lips and slid along the shell of his other half's ear. "Then again... it's no fun to play by alone. Maybe I can give you a hand after all..."

Malik huffed when his request was slightly turned down by the darker personality. Sure, he would understand why the ex-tomb keeper would have qualms about molesting them while they were asleep. "Why do you always have to be right?" he whispered before leaning along his chest. Up to now, Malik felt no feelings towards his darker counterpart save for feelings of gratitude of finally having someone that was willing to listen to everything that he wanted. However, his other self was rather creative. He let out a slight chuckle before shaking his head. He loved Ryou and this partnership with Marik only existed for it was beneficial for both parties. He wanted Ryou and Marik wanted someone to fuck. It's a win-win situation for the both of them.

Marik laughed quietly, running his fingers up and down his light counterpart's arms. "Because I know what's best for you. For us," he whispered, even going so far as to press his lips gently to the other Egyptian's ear. He was quite enjoying himself despite how tired he was and the distinct lack of screaming in the room right now. He pulled his other half closer to him, trailing his tongue along Malik's neck. "I can't be held by one thing forever, my dominant personality. I move through my playthings quickly, and I know that you're the same. Deny it all you want, but I've seen it in you too often to think otherwise."

Actually, Marik wondered how his other self would take it after hearing those words. Having him know that even when unconscious their bond was still stronger than anything either of them could imagine... it couldn't have been encouraging. Marik could practically feel the unease shoot through his light counterpart. It made him shiver in delight, especially knowing just how well he could affect the Egyptian in his arms by simply speaking. "They claim to be in love but I wouldn't worry too much about it," he whispered almost soothingly. To accompany this he resumed gentle stroking up and down Malik's arms. "We all know that in the end Bakura will simply throw him away... and then it will be the two of us that get what we want in the end, won't it?"

* * *

Kaiba sighed in frustration. He should have known better than to come to Yuugi asking about stuff like this. The guy always had to make things more complicated than they had to be, didn't he? Fortunately, Kaiba had foreseen this and was able to come up with a sort of passable excuse to why he was asking after Ryou Bakura. "I've been seeing a lot of him lately in the strangest of places. And besides, I still don't think he's completely unrelated to the theft that happened at Kaiba Corp recently. And now that I think about it, that's about the time all this strange stuff concerning him has happened. Knowing you, you're involved in it in some way or another." If one took his reasoning at face value, there really was nothing wrong with it, seeing as everything Seto had brought up was true. The theft, his suspicions, Ryou's odd behavior, and on top of it all, Yuugi's tendency to get involved with every single strange thing that happened in Domino City. Wherever he went, something supernatural or strange was bound to follow. Not that he believed in any of that stuff.

The pharaoh was looking at the young CEO intently as he tried his best not to let his thoughts go astray. "Ryou Bakura has involved himself with pretty shady matters, Kaiba. But I know that it is not in his personality to steal from you. If he really was the thief," he stopped mid-sentence as he tried to collect his thoughts as well. It would not take an Ace Detective to figure out what had happened that night if that was the first night that Bakura and Ryou met up. After all, the strange markings on the boy's neck started at around that time. He huffed before shaking his head, "He would have been coerced... Or blackmailed into doing it." At that point in time, Yami noticed that there were markings on the CEO's neck as well- something that looked like the ones on Bakura. When he compared those kinds of markings on what he placed on Yuugi (out of passion), it looked entirely different but with Seto, it was identical- as if the same person did it.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He asked. His interest was quite obvious: if that was true and Ryou really was coerced into stealing from him... that changed matters entirely. There was no real need for him to get close to the boy to find out the truth... and now that he realized that, his justifications for his actions were gone. Still, he did not want to give up his pursuit of the boy. He just had to find a different excuse for it now... like finding out who really stole from him or what had persuaded the boy to take the item from him. Plus he was kind of interested in this 'shady stuff' that Yuugi was talking about.

It was then when his eyes widened in shock. "Y-You slept with Ryou," he stuttered, eyes still widening. If that was true, then he was positive that the thief king would go after him next. Maybe, this was a good thing after all, considering that it might give Atem a chance to finally speak to the Spirit of the Ring when he's not calm and composed. "I suggest that you let go of the boy soon. He's spoken for." He did not say that to calm the thief or something but instead, he said that out of concern for the CEO's life.

Seto looked away, narrowing his eyes. Was it really that obvious? How had Yuugi figured that out when he hadn't even so much as hinted with it? This just reassured the young CEO that his rival knew something more than he was letting on. Hell, everything he said right now was hinting at something bigger, but he just would not say what it was! It was getting really irritating, in all honesty. But he couldn't leave without answers. Or at the very least a better idea of what was going on behind the scenes here.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the marks on his neck, Yuugi. I hardly even care who left them," he snapped. "I have my reasons for asking after him, and I shouldn't think he's completely spoken for if he was willingly coming after me. But really, that's not any of your business, is it? I didn't come to talk about sex; I came to ask what you knew about Bakura Ryou. If you're not going to answer me, I think we're just about finished here." Kaiba stood up quickly, almost challengingly, glaring down at his rival. His posture was exceedingly arrogant despite the disadvantage he was at. Really, this was like any one of their usual games, the way they were trying to outwit one another without giving too much of themselves away. To these two, everything was a game, even something that tied into something as large as what they were being faced with.

The pharaoh glared at the CEO, uncrossing his legs before sitting upright. "You're treating this as a minor game, Kaiba, when it's anything but. Ryou's partner is not a force to be reckoned with and nothing you or your body guards can do something when he plans to fight you back. Trust someone who has been trying to avoid him for the past millennia," he muttered before shaking his head. He stood up before slamming his palms on the desk in front of him. "He will not stop until he kills you for doing this to him. Trust me on this," he muttered before leaving without another word. Atem somewhat hoped that Kaiba would listen to his warning but knowing the hard-headed CEO, he would pursue whatever he wanted whatever constraints may arise. He let out a soft sigh before pushing the elevator button. Upon hearing a breathing noise behind him, Atem decided to speak up, "I don't know who stole your Millennium Rod, Kaiba. So just quit it!" However, when he turned around, he did not see Kaiba but instead, saw the spirit of the dark lord himself. "Looks like I can play with you again, oh great pharaoh."

At that moment, Atem could not really understand what was happening. He was not thinking clearly as he went down the Kaiba Corporation's building. He was not thinking at all when he took on the route towards his lover's school. No, something was preventing him from thinking things thoroughly though the pharaoh was not really sure as to what it was in the first place. _'W-What's happening..?'_he thought before realizing that he was already in the boy's school. He frowned at the sight of the different students out and about so he simply assumed that it was already lunch time. His eyes narrowed when he saw his lover looking more down the usual. He was about to approach him when something from within him tugged on his heart somewhat. "Let me talk to the boy, alright?" The pharaoh was still unsure as to who it was that was talking to him but he knew that it was familiar to him. The voice was calm and comforting- at least that was the guise Zorc was working with this time around.

The pharaoh's body approached the obviously saddened boy. "Aibou," the dark lord whispered before pulling the boy closer. A smirk appeared on his lips before tilting his head up and getting a good look at the boy's eyes. The faint glow was something that Zorc was clearly happy about but then again, he wanted the boy utterly broken- to the point that the pharaoh would be unable to put the pieces back together. "What do you about leaving school and going out with me to a date?" he asked before moving towards his ear. He licked the side of his ear lobe before grinning against the warm flesh, "You promised me after all that you were going to do it in the morning, did you not?" Maybe the proper manipulation of his resources would be all that he would need to crush the boy completely.

Yuugi had just gotten back to the school and was about to meet up with his friends for lunch, but upon seeing his other self coming into the school, decided it was better to divert his attention there instead. A little sheepishly he walked up to Atem, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... well, I want to go with you, but I can't miss school. I've missed too much already for Duel Monsters tournaments and I'm really behind. You know that, though." He sighed. "And I told you that I'd let you play with me in the morning, but only if you left me alone to sleep at night. You broke your end of the deal, so I can't hold up on mine. Maybe later, though?" He suggested. In truth he was actually quite terrified to sleep with his Yami again after what had happened last night. Maybe this would be different, though. Then again, Yuugi wasn't really feeling much in the mood for that kind of thing to begin with. He had been spent last night before he had been jumped on in his sleep.

This was exactly the reason as to why Zorc hated dealing with this boy. It was the fact that he wanted to crush the boy in millions and millions of tiny little pieces for always having that innate light within him. The dark lord made an unusual gesture of tenderness, stroking the boy's cheek before pulling him closer. "Very interesting," he stated, parting Yuugi's lips using his thumb. At that moment, he pressed against the boy, kissing him deeply as he tried to understand as to what exactly was going on with him. The kiss started out slow, their lips moving against each other as they both tried to pull away but finding their efforts futile. It was then when Zorc licked the boy's lower lip as if begging for entrance- something that he was given when he had asked. Their tongues danced together; the evil lord even letting out a groan of pleasure at the feeling. Something wrong was going on but he just could not pull away from the smaller boy. He pressed him against the lockers, his hands holding Yuugi's wrists in place as he just deepened the kiss. _'I want this boy... Just for a taste,'_ the dark lord thought, kissing him deeper every time.

It was hard not to lose himself in this embrace. Despite still being very fearful of what his Yami was capable of, Yuugi just could not help but melt into his arms. It felt too good; too tender and loving... Just like it was supposed to be. He kissed back enthusiastically, even allowed himself to be pushed back against the wall, though he flinched in somewhat apprehensive memory of the previous night. He opened his eyes slowly, and realizing that there were still a few people walking back and forth (none that had noticed him, however), yelped in shock and pushed Atem off of him.

"Not here!" he hissed. "We can't here! There are too many people!" But it was obvious that he wanted it... maybe a bit too much. He looked around, blushing shyly. "I... okay, I'll go with you for a little while, okay? But not for too long! I have to come back to class, and my friends will be worried about me!" He still wasn't too sure about his decision, but in truth he wasn't thinking all that clearly at the moment.

When the boy pushed him away, the dark lord let out a complaining groan before pulling the boy close enough to lean against his ear. "Why do you do this to me, Hikari?" the dark lord whispered, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. He was not falling for the boy or something but something was just tugging at him to devour the boy in front of him. Maybe it was just the instinctive moves of the pharaoh or something but then again, when he was in Bakura's body, he never felt a tug towards the white-haired Hikari. At the same time, Atem was securely tucked away in the recesses of his own mind- far enough for Zorc to be detached from his emotions. So why was this happening? He tugged at the boy before carrying him like a sack of potatoes and rushing towards the door. He was going to have the boy tonight if it was the last thing he does. "Tell me, Hikari. What is this distinctive pull that you have on me? Have you charmed me?" the dark lord growled, putting him down only to push him against the alleyway, "What kind of sorcery is this, boy?"

Yuugi's eyes went wide with horror when he was being spoken to. It was as if he were finally putting things together, but something was still completely out of reach for him, like a figure in the distance obscured by fog. "Why..." Yuugi whispered, starting to tremble all of a sudden, "...are you calling me that? You never say those kinds of things to me." He was shaking terribly now, fighting to keep his composure. This wasn't the pharaoh - not in the way his Hikari knew him, anyway. No, this was the same thing that had taken over him before, changing him, making him do things he never would have done.

Yuugi pushed against the body pressing against him, actually managing to throw the other off of him somehow. "You're not Atem!" He shouted. "You can't be. He doesn't treat me this way. So please... tell me who you really are! Tell me what you want with me!" He wanted to run, but it seemed his strength had fled him completely. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, helpless. What was going on? Maybe if he had the Millennium Puzzle... if Atem still lived in his mind instead of having his own body... then things would be normal, he would be gentle and kind and just again. But this... this was wrong. And even worse, now Yuugi was questioning what really had happened to his other self. Had he been completely overtaken? Was he okay, or had he... the boy couldn't even complete the thought. That single idea truly scared him, more than anything else in the world. Tears began to form in his eyes. _Please, other me... please be okay! I don't know what I would do without you!_

The dark lord could not help but to roll his eyes at the broken boy in front of him. When Yuugi started to act like that; he felt that his interest slowly melted away from the boy. He did not enjoy playing with weak pawns and this was no exception - light or not. He sighed lightly before shaking his head, pressing against the boy. "Your partner's soul is sleeping. If you must blame someone for what happened to your partner," Zorc whispered, his voice dangerously low. He placed a hand on the smaller boy's chest, grinning, "Blame yourself for bringing the damaged pharaoh in this time." With an irritated huff, he parted from the boy before gripping on the boy's collar, "I can let him go for a deal, young one." Without a doubt, he enjoyed toying with these types of people and Yuugi's trembling form only made it more exciting. "If you want me to tell you about myself, you must give up your light- your innocence to me. But I will not give up the pharaoh for such a low cost."

The dark lord grinned, about to repeat the same deal that he gave the white-haired Hikari in Ancient Egypt, "A life for a life. Take away the life that holds the thief's heart and I shall let go of the pharaoh."

What he heard horrified him. His partner was in danger... because of him? How was this possible? "No!" Yuugi cried. "I... I didn't! I couldn't have!" There was really nothing he had done to cause any of this, and even from the very beginning of this crazy chain of events, the boy had had no idea of what was happening. And now, hearing that his partner was possibly going to be killed... Yuugi shut his eyes tight. He knew what he had to do, but would he be able to do it? "I... I can't," he whispered. "Please... I'll do anything. But I can't ... I can't hurt Ryou. He's my friend!"

By now the boy was openly sobbing. What had he ever done to deserve this? Having the most important person in his life being taken away from him for no apparent reason, and the only way to get him back being killing one of his friends... one of the few people that had been kind to him when nobody else would! It was too much for Yuugi. "Please! T-tell me why you're doing this! Why do you want Ryou dead? Why do you want A-Atem dead? I can't do it! I can't hurt either of them!" And he couldn't save them both, either. Something was going to have to give... and at this rate, it looked like it was going to be Yuugi's heart that fell first.

The dark lord could not help but grin when Yuugi started begging for him to release the two people that mattered to him. "I already gave you my offer, Yuugi. I accept no other form of payment than the boy's life," he whispered, pushing the boy against the wall once more. Zorc was slowly getting impatient but at the same time, he was actually having fun with watching the boy's writhing form beneath him. Ryou did not make those noises anymore even if he was tormenting him so it was nice to know that he could still instill fear in the hearts of many. The evil god smirked at the thought before shaking his head. "I will tell you what you want to know if you give up your light but I will only give up the pharaoh in exchange of the Yadonushi's life," he muttered before parting from the smaller boy. "I have no intention simply giving up information for free. All of my services have a very steep price, Yuugi." Upon seeing the boy's scared look, Zorc sighed exasperatedly, "One thing is for sure though- I want to get rid of the Yadonushi to get rid of Bakura's doubt in me."

Yuugi's eyes widened, but not in the same excitement or surprised manner as usual. No, this time he just looked defeated, like he had come to the realization that there was no other way out of this. The tears had stopped flowing, and his eyes were red and puffy, standing out in heavy contrast against his suddenly deathly-pale skin. He fell back, slumping against the wall and sliding down it to the ground. He was completely defeated - there were not cards that he could pull out at the last possible second to avoid his fate. This was it. "Please..." he whispered, unable to make his voice any stronger. He sounded just as dejected and empty as he looked. "L-let me... let me talk to the Other Me... s-so I can tell him... what I have to do."

The dark being narrowed his eyes at the smaller boy before pressing the boy against the wall. He grinned while pressing their foreheads against each other. "Even if he were to know what you are tasked with, he would not be able to do anything about it. I shall take that as an acceptance," he whispered before moving towards the other's neck. His tongue grazed against the pale soft skin of the smaller before grinning. It was obvious that he was about to mark his territory but Zorc always preferred doing it this way. He parted his lips just enough to place the boy's neck in between them. The pharaoh's teeth suddenly turned sharper as he pressed the two fang-like teeth against his neck. _'I just hope that you won't regret your decision, Aibou,'_ he said in the boy's mind before completely sinking his teeth in the boy's neck. It bled for a while but it quickly formed the crest of the dark lord. It burned on the game-lover's neck before the dark lord started to lick the blood up. At that moment, the pharaoh's body collapsed in Yuugi's arms but it only took a few seconds for Atem to understand what was going on. "Y-Yuugi... What have you done..?"


	46. Never Alone

**Love me so** Tender  
Back in Domino Arc  
A Chiba-kun and starrrrii story!

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Is there anyone still monitoring this story? First of all, I'd like to apologize for taking a long and unexpected hiatus. Life got in the way. I hope you guys like this new chapter though.

A big shout out to TheMysticWonder. You inspired me to edit this chapter. This one's for you. We don't own anything aside from the plot.

Please read, review, and enjoy.

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Chapter** 46:** Never Alone

The boy sighed in relief the moment the thief king was slowly lulled into unconsciousness. He smiled sadly, wondering if he could really handle this. True, he could take care of people with fever but he has never seen Bakura weak. The thief king never had a fever before and judging from his reactions every time Ryou would fall due to over-exertion, he did not know how to handle them either. "You're too hard-headed, you know that?" he whispered before caressing his fallen thief's cheek. The boy then continued what he was doing, wiping the thief's body at least twice in order to stop it from heating up too much.

He brushed some bangs out of the Bakura's eyes. He felt bad for doing it to him and the fact that Ryou did not step out of the car to see him only made matters worse. "Zorc-sama... was with Kaiba-kun yesterday," he started, as if he was practicing as to what he was going to say to Bakura. Somehow, even the sheer sight of him was truly making him feel guilty beyond words. "I don't understand but when I was suddenly pulled back to my body, he was-" he stopped abruptly, not able to tell the other. He felt scared and ashamed even. He did not know what he was supposed to tell him next. He knew that Bakura never liked betrayal and what he did was one of the worst things a lover could do. "Kaiba-kun took me. I-I wanted to push him away but no matter what I was doing, nothing happened. I-It felt good, Kura. I did not want it to feel good"

The Millennium Ring glowed for a moment as their souls finally connected. Ryou opened his eyes and he saw two rooms presented before him. He did not know as to why their soul rooms were separated that way considering what had happened the last time that he was here. He took in a deep breath before walking towards the thief king's room. He gasped when he saw the things happening around them.

* * *

When Bakura had passed out, he had woken up inside his soul room. Naturally, he was unsurprised by the state of it, not the state of his own body. In a way, it was comforting to come back to something that was so constant and predictable. He was standing for a while, simply admiring the beauty of the blood on the walls, blood he had spilled and spread. He could feel something brushing up against him, faint and insubstantial. The thief didn't even need to look around him to see what it was: he already knew. "Yes, I can hear you." His eyes closed partially and he smiled, falling back until he was on the floor, sitting comfortably and looking up at nothing in particular. He felt oddly peaceful, considering how normally chaotic this room seemed to him.

Slowly, the room grew colder, as the spirits continued to rush about aimlessly. It created a chilling effect and made Bakura start shaking to keep warm. A few of them were whispering to him still, and though unseen, he could feel them brushing over him in a sort of pseudo-comforting fashion. The thief's lips moved quickly, forming words under his breath, something that only these ghosts would understand. Well, maybe if Marik or the Pharaoh were to hear what Bakura was saying, they would understand his words. Not to say they would find what he was saying particularly pleasant, seeing as the descriptions he was relating to the ghosts haunting him were rather graphic and frightening. To any outsider they would have been, anyway; these kinds of thoughts were normal for Bakura and thus wouldn't faze him or the spirits swarming around him. If anything, they would take delight in his words. Their laughter and incessant whispering was clear evidence of that.

Ryou rushed towards the fallen thief king, wrapping his arms around the shivering tomb robber. "Bakura-sama," he stated before trying to calm down the Ring-keeper in his arms. His heart was constricting the moment he realized the term he used to refer to Bakura. _'Had it been that long since I called him my master?'_ he thought before clutching onto the thief king as if he would fly away the moment he stopped holding onto him.

They began to get restless, however, turning their whispers into shouts when an unexpected guest showed up. Bakura turned his eyes towards the door, smiling tranquilly when he caught sight of Ryou. Yadonushi..." he mumbled, sounding somehow happy in spite of the numerous cuts and scrapes all across his skin. But something was bothering Ryou. "What is it, love?" He asked, reaching up and putting one palm to either side of the boy's face. "Why are you worried? Why are you... calling me that...?"

Tears fell the moment their eyes met. Bakura's eyes were no longer the shiny red orbs that he loved to see. They were not shining anymore and unfortunately, the spirits were not making it better. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he exclaimed. It was then when the Millennium Ring started to glow once more, the two dark rooms collapsing entirely. Ryou still held on the thief in his arms, not willing to risk letting him go.

Ryou focused his attention to the one next to him. "Bakura-sama?" there it was again, the slight irritation at himself for even referring to him in that way. Maybe it was because of the present happenings and he knew that he was utterly devastated of the 'sin' he had just committed.

The glow in Bakura's eyes was slowly beginning to return, and when he realized that something in his soul room was weakening and the spirits were shouting and wailing their displeasure at being disturbed, Bakura screamed. All too suddenly the pain had returned; it felt as if he were slowly being torn apart. To make matters worse, the room around him twisted and melt away until somehow it ended up shattering. He clung tightly to Ryou, trying to save both of them from falling apart, but they fell anyway. When they landed, Bakura did not even notice where they were. All he knew was that the Spirits of Kul Elna were gone once more.

He pushed away from Ryou, standing up and glaring down at him dangerously. "You idiot!" He exclaimed. "What do you think you were doing? They weren't hurting me! They weren't going to touch you!" But the next second, he had calmed down and was once again cuddling up to his Yadonushi in an uncharacteristic display of affection. "I don't know what to think anymore," he whispered. "I'm so confused... and you're just as confusing, you know. Why are you calling me Bakura-sama? Tell me, Ryou... you've been acting strangely. I just want to know, love." He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back against the wall. It was warm in here, something that Bakura appreciated. He wasn't in pain anymore, either. So why did something still feel so wrong?

The boy's eyes widened, his body shaking from what was happening. His mouth was agape as he stared at the thief king and when he cuddled towards him, Ryou did something that he thought would never happen again. The boy pulled away from him, curling up at the other end of the bed, pressing his back against the corner of the room. His arms wrapped around his legs, trying his best not to look at Bakura's rather confusing state.

"I didn't push them away. I just went in your soul room and that was what happened. I can... leave if you want me to," he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. Somehow, the comforting room did not comfort Ryou at all.

It was mainly because of the rather large space between the two lovers and the fact that he was feeling uncomfortable around him. If only there was a way for him to truly speak his mind but then again, he could not bring himself to say the story again. No, not when Bakura could hear every word that he was saying. "Bakura-sama..." he started, his head hanging low like a servant would do when talking to his master. The simple gesture said a lot but Ryou was truly bowing his head to send out his apologies to the thief king. He knew for a fact that he did not want it to happen, but it did. "I should leave. I should go far from you to stop halting your plots against the pharaoh," he whispered, somewhat hoping that it would draw his emotions away from what had happened with Seto Kaiba and him but to no avail.

He gripped on the sheets of the bed beneath them before letting the tears fall. The room's walls started to peel from their comforting nature and slowly returned to the deranged yet somehow alluring state when they spent their first night together in the soul room. "I just... Zorc-sama he... I just didn't..." He tried to start his sentences but at the same time, his thoughts failed to form coherent sentences, given that they weren't really making much sense at all. The boy looked at his thief king, noticing the mark on him and recalling that it was the same mark on the Egyptian that he spent his time with. Ryou pressed his fingers on his own face, feeling a slight cut appear on his cheeks once more. At that moment, the Glasgow smile was once again apparent as he sobbed quietly in place. "Ryou spent the night with Kaiba-kun. Zorc-sama pushed Ryou to doing it but Ryou felt good too. Ryou saw Baku on the way to school this morning but Ryou was hurt that Baku did not come for Ryou. Ryou thought that maybe Ryou was not enough for Baku anymore. Mariku said that Baku will get rid of Ryou soon but Ryou does not want to believe it. But then Yuugi-kun said that pharaoh will leave Yuugi so... Baku will leave Ryou too," he whispered, mumbling off different noises that were supposedly words for him. The boy crawled towards the thief king, his hands holding onto the thief's face, coating it with his blood. "Baku promised to be with Ryou but Baku will leave Ryou for the pharaoh. Ryou will be... alone again."

Bakura could see quite clearly that his host was breaking down in front of him again. But something rooted him to the spot he was in, held him there strongly enough that he couldn't go and try to comfort the boy - not until it was too late and he had already reverted to that scarred, broken form he took on when something was wrong. The false smile no longer unnerved the thief; he felt, for a while, as if he might have had one too. He felt the same as Ryou currently did while he was on his own in his soul room, if only more at peace, but still just as destroyed and unsure. He listened, keeping his composure outwardly, though it was incredibly to feel just how enraged this news was making him. And, besides that, his expression was beginning to twist into something that more suited how he really felt at this.

"Ryou felt good too..." he hissed."Of course you did. Of course. You just sat back and let things run their course, did you? You didn't even bother to fight back?" He was sneering now; taking long, intimidating strides towards his Hikari. The thief had been standing a short distance away and only now was he opting to close it. He stopped just before the bed, facing Ryou at an angle from where the boy was huddled in the corner. "You just let him do what he wanted. You listened to him. Listened to them. Everyone. You betrayed me, Ryou." At those words, something seemed to break in Bakura, as if he hadn't realized the truth of what he'd said until it was spoken out loud. He laughed darkly, madly. "I thought you had come away from the weak little host you used to be! But you can't even question what you're hearing!"

He lunged forward, snarling and clamping a hand around Ryou's neck. But he seemed to think better of this almost immediately, pulling the boy back up to his eye level and roughly fisting his hair. "I'll kill him," the thief hissed. "Kill them. Kill all of them for hurting you. For hurting me... won't it be beautiful, Ryou? Sweet, sweet, beautiful little Yadonushi? We can watch them bleed... tear out their lying tongues, cut off their sinful hands." His own hands moved to hold either side of Ryou's face, directing the boy's twisted gaze towards himself. Bakura laughed bitterly. His eyes were wide and wild. Something inside him had snapped. Maybe it was the way he interpreted the boy's words, thinking that he still didn't trust his darker counterpart enough to believe him. Maybe Ryou really was unsure about all of this, but the way he seemed to believe Yuugi... "I'm not going to the afterlife. Never. Not with Pharaoh... never with Pharaoh. I'll send him to Ammut first! I'll let everything else perish before I let myself die!"

"No... No! Ryou did not want to be with Kaiba-kun. Ryou wanted to push him away but Zorc-sama held Ryou in place. Ryou wanted to run away but Zorc-sama kept holding onto Ryou. B-Baku did not come for Ryou either..." he whispered, tears trickling down his cheeks freely. He felt bad beyond words and the way that he was handled by his supposedly tender lover did not make matters any better. His eyes narrowed down when he looked at the thief king, biting his lower lip, "Baku does not love Ryou... Ryou is just a host for Baku. When Ryou loses his benefits for Baku, Baku will throw Ryou away. Baku promised Ryou though... So even if Ryou is weak and useless, Bakura would still stay with Ryou," the boy whispered before laughing. The boy truly looked weird, crying and laughing at the same time. His mind was not forming coherent words at all, simply saying what was coming in mind.

Bakura was grinning madly now, almost mimicking the way the fake smile on his reflection stood out. His teeth were clinching; eyes still alight with rage and excitement. His grip on Ryou tightened and he got marginally closer to the boy. "You won't be alone, Ryou," he whispered dangerously. "You'll never be alone. Not as long as I'm here. The entire world can go to ruins, but you'll never be free of me."

Bakura still wasn't ready to back down yet. His emotions were heavily clouding his judgment, though he did not realize it. "You think I didn't look for you?" He hissed. If Ryou had seen him that morning then it would have been clear to him that the thief had been out in the rain, at the very least. He hadn't been in good shape that morning at all, and by the time he and Ryou finally found each other, things had only gotten worse. "I searched for you all night." He sighed. Something was beginning to clear in his mind. Maybe it was the desperation in Ryou's voice or perhaps just his heartfelt pleas, but Bakura found himself involuntarily softening at these words. Even more stunning to him was the fact that Ryou was beginning to make sense again. When they fell back together, one big tangled mess of limbs, it just felt... right.

"Ryou loves Bakura very much! Ryou would never betray Bakura on his will! Ryou will never leave Bakura!" he exclaimed now, somewhat hoping and praying that his emotions were shining through. "Ryou does not want to do anything but to stay by Bakura's side. Ryou loves you. I-I love... I love you," he whispered, his mind slowly understanding the things that were going on. The Glasgow smile was slowly healing as his lips formed in a true smile. The boy then hovered on top of Bakura, staying on all fours before tangling his hands in the white mess on Bakura's head. "I-I love you..." he whispered before pressing their lips together.

Suddenly Bakura felt very tired. It was almost as if he had been through a great feat of trouble when really nothing had happened at all. He remained silent and allowed Ryou to kiss him, automatically responding by pressing back against him. Even if he may not have wanted to, the instinct of returning this physical affection was something he had to do. It was unavoidable. When they pulled apart, the last few hints of rage were slowly leaving Bakura's body. He said nothing, allowing the peace and quiet to wash over them both.

When he had calmed down somewhat, he had rolled over and started kissing Ryou again. He wasn't rough or insisting in the least, just showing some strange kind of affection through the gesture. He pulled away after a while, and with a casual grin, began playing with the boy's hair. "I'm still going to kill him, you know," he said. "Even if it was unintentional on your part, you belong to me. I promised you a long time ago, remember? If anyone ever touches you the way I would, I'd kill them." He had shown that clearly with Malik's dark side, but of course the only reason he was still around was because the god of darkness had decided it would be fun to bring him back. In the end, though, he would go right back to the shadows that he came from. Now Kaiba and Malik were going to be joining him as well.

Upon hearing the plans he had for Kaiba- or at the very least, the threat that he was going to kill said CEO, Ryou simply let out a sigh of absolute relief. This sigh did not go unnoticed by the boy though for he immediately remedied it by pressing his face against the thief's chest. "I love you. Y-You wouldn't know how much it hurts to be called by YOUR name over and over again..." he winced when his memories became clearer. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought as he tried to figure out what had happened during the time that he was fixed on the bed. "H-He was calling your name too," he whispered, not bothering to refer to the young businessman by his name. He looked up at the thief king, a finger placed on Bakura's chin. "S-Say it again. S-Say my name? Even just you... Even if it's just you, I would feel better," he muttered, biting his lower lip to stop himself for saying anything else. At that moment, he broke out in soft sobs, tears trickling down his cheeks. Unlike his previous tears, he did not understand as to why he was crying this time around.

He moved closer, the finger on Bakura's chin pushing it in order to part it as much as he could. His hot breath escaped his lips as Ryou broke into pants. Just one small push would cause their lips to collide. But instead of kissing him, the boy buried his face on the crook of the thief's neck, unable to stop his tears. "I-I know you don't like it when I cry. I-I find it weak myself whenever I do... I-I just... I just don't understand as to why I can't stop crying this time," he muttered before tightening his grip on the thief's shirt. At that point in time, his knuckles were slowly turning even paler (if that was even possible) from the force that he was exerting on them. He tried his hardest to bite back the tears but he found himself unable to keep it from coming out. "As long as you say it... A-As long as I hear you say it... I-I would be alright. As long as I can hear you say my name," he muttered. Maybe it was more than just the name. Maybe it was more than just this simple longing to touch the thief all the time. Maybe, his longing was turning into an unhealthy addiction.

Bakura smiled and closed his eyes, finding the atmosphere completely peaceful for once. There was something about the room around them and the quiet words Ryou was forming to him that just made him feel as if he were getting lulled to sleep. He absent-mindedly reached out for Ryou and pulled him closer, taking him by the hand. "It's not just my name," he said. "It's your name, too. Our name." He had taken it from Ryou, after all, adopted it again when he found that they had shared it from the very beginning. He laughed. "Ryou." That was all the thief said. He didn't have anything to add to it, just felt that he should give the boy what he wanted. With a slow, lazy move, he kissed his Hikari, repeating his name quietly each time he would get a chance to break away.

The boy sighed deeply before gulping a little. _'This isn't good... I-I love him too much,'_ he thought as he looked up at the thief king. At that moment, he just couldn't help himself. When their gazes met, Ryou widened his eyes before pressing their lips together in a soft yet longing kiss. He could feel every bit of remorse and sadness that the thief king was feeling but at the same time, he was pretty sure that Bakura could feel his feelings as well. _'I must be really pathetic, clutching onto you all the time. I keep on asking for my independence and even though I don't want to be left alone, I want to be able to still stand on my own feet... B-But it's no good. It's always no good when I'm around you. I'm no good whenever it's matters about you. One look and I would just feel like I'm melting slowly. Y-You do so much with just one stare,'_ he thought, pulling the thief closer as he groaned into the kiss. _'I-I really am pathetic, aren't I Bakura? I really am weak. I was weak and I'll always be weak.'_

The king of thieves didn't respond at all while he was listening to his Hikari's thoughts. In truth, he didn't know what to say to it, seeing as he hadn't realized just how strong an effect he had on the boy. In a way, this was instilling him once again with a sense of power. This complete and utter devotion was something he could only have dreamed of before, when he needed it to get his revenge and had no other thing on his mind. Now, however, he found he craved this devotion for an entirely different reason. When they pulled away and Ryou was still crying, Bakura reached forward and wiped some of his tears away. "I think it's time you woke up, Ryou."

Moments later, the thief found himself alone in the room again. He sighed to himself, falling backwards until he was staring at the ceiling. Things were now more confusing than ever. _I'm going to have to choose eventually,_he thought. Thankfully he knew that the mind link was currently not working, seeing as he was sealed off from Ryou by their soul room. Though he knew making the choice between Ryou and his revenge was coming, he still planned on trying to delay it. He had been trying before to somehow blend the two, but now... it looked like that just wasn't going to be possible. Still, that wasn't going to deter him.


End file.
